On Wednesday, September 21, 2016, the Indiana State Police sent members from their three (3) SWAT Teams to take part in a large-scaled maritime training exercise on the Salt River, which is located inside the Ft. Knox military base.
This was a multi-agency training evolution involving maritime patrol units from Texas, Kentucky & Indiana and included the Texas Parks & Wildlife Marine Tactical Operations Group (MTOG), Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Clark County Sheriff’s Department (IN), Scott County Sheriff’s Department (IN), Kentucky Fish & Wildlife and Louisville Metro Police Department.
In all, 48 officers and 8 watercrafts were utilized during this 8 hour training.
The operators in attendance worked on enhancing their tactical boat operational skills while conducting live fire exercises from their watercrafts along the Salt River.
The Ft. Knox military base is one of only a few locations within the U.S. that has a live-fire, river course. Ft. Knox allows law enforcement agencies to conduct this specialized training at no cost to the individual agencies or to the taxpayers of the States’ that were represented during this training.
The type of training conducted is imperative for those tactical units who operate in or around a maritime environment; whether it be for those units making contact with recreational boaters and larger vessels hauling commerce on the Ohio River or for those who are protecting our nation’s borders along the Rio Grande and at our ocean ports.
Several of the local agencies involved in the training work together on day to day maritime patrols and during specialized events such as Thunder over Louisville. As a result of this partnership, they also conduct yearly training together on the Ohio River and work closely as members with the Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC) for the Port of Louisville and the United States Coast Guard.
Although each agencies area of operation or specific jobs might vary slightly, our overall mission is the same; to protect life and property in the communities we serve through effective patrols & investigations along our individual waterways.
The partnerships the Indiana State Police has developed through participating in the AMSC and staying engaged with maritime patrol units will enhance the safety of all who enjoy using our waterways for recreational or commercial purposes.
