PHOTOS: Manhunt Training Exercise Conducted in Macon County
A mock manhunt took place Thursday morning in Macon County involving several local and state law enforcement agencies.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, in partnership with the Alabama Department of Corrections and the Macon County Sheriff’s Office conducted the training exercise, which took place on Alabama Highway 199 in Tuskegee.
ALEA Aviation, SBI and SWAT members, state troopers, the ADOC Law Enforcement Services Division including the K9 Unit, the U.S. Marshals Service – Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Macon County Sheriff’s Office all had a role.
The mock manhunt started with the Macon County Sheriff’s Office making a traffic stop of a truck. Two people inside the truck jumped out, with a third person staying in the truck saying he would commit suicide and had a bomb.
ALEA took to the air in a helicopter while other agencies went into the woods to search for the other two suspects.
Macon County Sheriff Andre Brunson says this exercise gave them a chance to see what state agencies are equipped to do in case there was actually a real manhunt and he needed their assistance.
“We have gotten together in a lot of real situations, but this has got to be the biggest training exercise that we’ve had,” Brunson told Alabama News Network.
“Coming together like this is so important,” ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor said. “You know what each agency has, you know their limitations, you know what you bring to the table, so when it’s the real event and not a practice event, you know who to call. It saves a lot of time.”
