The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District hosted personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard, and local, county and state agencies as they conducted law enforcement drills at the McAlpine Locks and Dam facility on the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky, July 31, 2024.
The purpose of the drills was to enhance maritime incident response for both law enforcement and fire/rescue agency personnel who may respond to a maritime incident occurring in the vicinity of McAlpine Locks and Dam.
“The USCG and USACE share a common interest on the Ohio River and that is the protection of national critical infrastructure and the continued flow of waterborne commerce,” said Roy Stone, USACE Louisville District Security Management chief.
The USCG is the chair of the Louisville Area Maritime Security Committee, which comprise many local, state, and federal law enforcement and first responder agencies.
“Collaboration between these agencies that share responsibilities along our portion of the Ohio River is essential in coordinating an effective response to potential threats,” Stone said. “The primary goal of the interagency security exercise facilitated by the USCG at McAlpine Locks and Dam was to build upon these relationships and provide a unique exercise experience for our local law enforcement and first responder partners. Building and enhancing existing relationships with local law enforcement and first responders is a critical step in ensuring continued safety and security of our USACE personnel and property.”
The drills included a wide range of law enforcement tactics and emergency response procedures, with the intent to improve response times on the water and for agencies to get a better feel for the area and how each agency works.
“The Louisville District is proud to partner with state and local agencies to conduct site assessments and strengthen collaborative relationships for effective emergency response planning and site familiarization,” said Jeremy Ball, Louisville District Safety and Occupational Health chief.
In addition to USACE and USCG, participants included Kentucky State Police, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Louisville Metro Police Department, Louisville Fire Department, Jeffersonville Police Department, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Clarksville Fire Department, Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
“I think it’s easy to forget how important this lock and dam is in our national economic security,” said Capt. Heather Mattern, USCG Captain of the Port-Sector Ohio Valley. “So, we as a group need to have a unity of effort across all our port partnerships to make sure that we are ready to respond to any type of safety and security incident that may happen here, and so doing these drills allow us to build those relationships and understand each other's capabilities before something significant happens.”