Police Training Simulates Big Demonstration, 1st Amendment Issues Reviewed

Days after abortion protests in the county capital of White Plains, members of police forces from all Westchester County police departments participated in a full-scale mutual aid training exercise Wednesday at Westchester Community College. 

According to a release from the county executive's office, the drills and presentations were to include participation from County Executive Rob Astorino and Public Safety Commissioner George Longworth, as well as a presentation to officers on legal and First Amendment issues involved in policing large-scale public demonstrations.

The exercise simulated a large-scale demonstration that would require police agencies to respond from all three mutual aid zones around the county, according to the statement. 

Training goals listed in the release included:

• Test the county’s mutual aid response plan.
• Test and practice civil disorder response and tactics.
• Test and practice protocols for staging and accounting for officers responding to a large-scale incident.
• Test and practice the processing of multiple persons in a mass arrest incident.