South Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council

Search and Rescue Unit

For Immediate Release

Friday, March 15, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

SEMLEC to Participate in Large-Scale Test of Multi-Agency Communications Capabilities in Hingham

Event to Take Place March 21 at Wompatuck State Park

HINGHAM — SEMLEC President Christopher Delmonte and SEMLEC Search and Rescue Command Chief George McNeil report that the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council will participate in an exercise to test the communications technology interoperability between several Massachusetts law enforcement agencies next week.

The exercise will be conducted on Thursday, March 21, at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham. Residents and visitors to the area will notice a large police presence that day between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and should know there is no cause for concern.

The training will simulate a large-scale multi-agency search and rescue mission, with the goal of testing the functionality, capabilities and limitations of the communications technologies used by several of Massachusetts’ law enforcement and public safety agencies. The agencies will be working together to test their communications equipment and the compatibility of their respective equipment with one another.

“We already have a great relationship with our regional public safety partners, but it is important to test our equipment and capabilities before they are needed,” Chief Delmonte said.

The agencies that will be participating include:

• SEMLEC
• Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC)
• Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department
• Plymouth County Technical Rescue Team
• Barnstable County Sheriff’s Department
• Cape Law Enforcement Council (CapeLEC)
• Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)
• Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council (MetroLEC)
• Massachusetts Environmental Police
• Massachusetts State Police

The exercise has been planned by MetroLEC and the Massachusetts Search and Rescue Board and is intended to bring together several public safety agencies to work on together on the same simulated operation.

“Part of this exercise is to ensure that all of the public safety agencies in the region are well-trained and well-prepared in the event of a large-scale search and rescue operation or emergency situation,” Chief McNeil said. “Being able to seamlessly respond and work effectively with our law enforcement partners is crucial during such an incident, and the testing of our communications interoperability is part of that training and preparation.”

ABOUT SEMLEC

The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council is a mutual aid consortium comprised of resources from the police departments of 30 cities and towns. It responds when requested a chief of police to assist with search and rescue, special events, or major crimes. SEMLEC also draws on some of the most talented police officers in the region to form the SEMLEC SWAT Team, which deploys when needed to save lives and protect the citizens of southeastern Massachusetts. 

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