Homeland Security Training on the Tennessee River

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – If you’re passing by the Chattanooga  Riverfront on Wednesday and see law enforcement out on the water do not be alarmed it’s all part of a training exercise.

Team members from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, TVA, the United State Coast Guard and several other agencies are diving into the Tennessee River to practice the procedures they would take in case a dangerous threat.

“We have team in river that belongs to Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office that is looking for a particular object. It will passed onto other agencies to further test”, said Sheriff Jim Hammond.

While authorities couldn’t disclose what threat scenarios they were practicing they did say this.

“Whether it’s a natural event such as a tornado or a hurricane or a catastrophic failure of the bridge…or any of the number of things….could be potential terrorist activity.”

Most of the equipment the agencies used was furnished by grants from Homeland Security.

“The boats that are out there and ROV…the underwater cameras, some of the diving team equipment….a number of pieces of equipment are furnished through grants that we get from the federal government”, said Sheriff Hammond.

The exercise does more than just prepare the agencies.

“It brings the individuals together to form a trust and respect and working relationships so that in the event there is a real life incident we fall back on our training. The training today, by being on the boats and utilizing the equipment and leveraging technology has been very beneficial”, said ATF PIO Michael Knight.

No roads or portions of the Tennessee River are closed.

However, the main Riverpark Boat Ramp off Amnicola Highway is closed.
It’ll reopen tonight at 9.