Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Police from across the nation have descended upon the soon-to-be demolished St. Joseph the Worker Parish on New Falls Road in Falls Township.
The final day of training with police and SWAT-trained officers will take place Wednesday. Neighbors are advised they may hear explosions as officers practice breaching techniques, Lt. Hank Ward said.
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The training at the former church and school started last week with a basic class with 12 agencies from around the nation taking part and is concluding this week with a 20-agency advanced class run by Tactical Energetic Entry Systems.
Residents of Falls’ Fallsington and Levittown sections called LevittownNow.com last week and Tuesday to question the loud booms and shaking. After some investigation, LevittownNow.com confirmed the training at the old church and school.
Ward explained the weather plays a role in how far and loud the small explosives can be heard and felt. Possible rain on Wednesday will likely muffle the explosions for neighbors.
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Developer McGrath Homes is allowing police to use the buildings and the 18-acre site before work on the St. Joseph’s Court community begins. The new age 55-plus community will include 62 townhouses, two two-story apartment buildings with 24 units, as well as 14 one-story flats.
“It’s very rare to do this in an actual building,” Ward said of the training.
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Most of the plastic explosives are smaller than a penny but have a big impact when used. Ward explained that officers are being trained to look for weak spots in walls and doors to gain entry using explosives, mainly during dangerous hostage situations.
In exchange for letting Tactical Energetic Entry Systems using the former school for practice, the training company gave Falls police six free slots in the training courses, which saves taxpayers money. The value saved by using a real building is around $25,000, Ward said.
Over the past few months, police tactical operators have also used the empty parish for various other training sessions.
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Falls police became trained with small tactical explosives 10 years ago and have not deployed it in a real-life situation yet, Ward said.
“This training is showing real results and keeping us proficient.”
