Fairfield residents may have noticed military helicopters flying over the city Tuesday morning as law enforcement agencies conducted tactical training exercises at the former Midwest Food Bank warehouse.
The facility, which has been converted into a specialized law enforcement training center, hosted officers from the Mount Vernon Police Department and the Jefferson County SWAT team.
Two military helicopters participated in the exercises, including an Air National Guard Black Hawk that conducted a “hot landing” involving law enforcement officers.
A Lakota helicopter was also used during the training. That type of aircraft is commonly utilized for scouting and surveillance operations.
Officers from the Fairfield Police Department and members of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department were on hand to observe the exercises.
Training organizer Marty Keoughan, who works with a joint counter-narcotics task force in Jefferson County, described the Fairfield location as a premier training facility.
The task force includes personnel from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and the Mount Vernon Police Department’s High Risk Teams.
According to Keoughan, the Fairfield facility is among the most advanced of its kind in the region, with the nearest comparable training site reportedly located in Arkansas.
The facility has attracted increasing attention from law enforcement agencies over the past year.
Numerous departments have used the location for tactical training, including sheriff’s offices and police departments from across Illinois, Illinois State Police and U.S. Marshals from St. Louis.
Tuesday’s exercises focused on tactical operations and counter-narcotics training, providing participating officers with experience in coordinated law enforcement and helicopter operations.