Preparing for the worst: Lexington Police train near campus

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Members of the Lexington Police Department’s Emergency Response Unit train in unoccupied homes on Conn Terrace Thursday afternoon. Photos by Scott Hannigan | Staff

Twenty men in black vests, with shields and firearms, snaked along the exterior of a home just off campus, quietly entering with careful organization. However, no one was barricaded inside. No standoff occurred.

The Lexington Police Department’s Emergency Response Unit was training outside and inside unoccupied houses along Conn Terrace Thursday afternoon. The unit trained for high-risk warrant, hostage and suicide-by-cop situations, said Assistant Commander Sgt. Frank Kirkpatrick.

“We create mental options to respond in a way other than lethal,” he said.  “ … The primary goal is to get everyone in and out safely, even the suspect.”

Kirkpatrick said the ERU has been fired at numerous times during its 26 years. The unit has never had to take a life.

The 20-member ERU began training at 9 a.m. Thursday, with a cross-fit workout, Kirkpatrick said. The scenario training lasted nearly four hours.

The unit, comprised of LPD patrol officers, detectives and training instructors, also trains at firearm ranges and other locations.  The unit trains for various situations, such as tactical rappelling, chemical agent training and door breaching every other week, Kirkpatrick said.

“We want people to see what their tax dollars are doing,” he said. “We’re out here sweating, not sitting around and eating doughnuts.”