Homeland Security drill held in Center City

CENTER CITY - September 12, 2011

The rapid response drill was conducted by the Homeland Security Unit near 20th Street and JFK Boulevard in Center City.

Starting at 4:15 p.m., the drill was expected to last for approximately 90 minutes.

Each district in the city has a rapid response team of two officers.

For Monday's drill, a call was put out on the radio instructing the teams to show up at the centralized location.

After a quick briefing, the teams were then deployed to various destinations across the city to conduct their assigned tasks.

"We scheduled one this week to coincide with the anniversary of Sept. 11. However we don't want to focus solely on Sept. 11, We're going to be doing things throughout the week to test our readiness to respond to all kinds of threats," Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan.

The Philadelphia Police Department's Homeland Security Unit holds two such drills each year to prepare for any possible terrorist attacks or major incidents.