Local, state and federal emergency officials responded to a mock terrorist attack on the Illinois River Monday morning. The drill was hosted by the Fondulac Park District Police and U-S Coast Guard. It was designed to test how well different groups work together to respond to an emergency. Fondulac Park District Police Chief Michael Johnson says the mock attack involved terrorists taking over the Peoria Lock and Dam and taking hostages:
“Overall I think we learned a lot from it, both good and bad. We learned where some of our shortfalls are, like with equipment issues…communication is always a biggie. But overall I think the officers did an outstanding job.”
Johnson says communication problems usually arise because multiple agencies aren’t using the same frequencies to communicate. He says the groups formed a mobile command post to help coordinate information in the drill. Johnson says the exercise involved an area SWAT team, the FBI and local law enforcement.