Sheriff’s Dept. Undergoing Riot Training

As authorities prepare for the possibility of more civil unrest in the region, Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block announced Wednesday that his force is being trained in containing such disturbances.

Until the spring riots, Block said, “there (had) been little or no training for the possibility of a major civil disturbance.” Instead, the department’s disaster seminars had dealt with coping with earthquakes.

More than half the department’s field personnel will soon have completed the training, he added, including specialized units that would be quickly mobilized in an emergency. One such platoon went through an unplanned drill this week.

“We’re very pleased with the results,” Block said at his monthly open house for the media.

The Los Angeles Police Department has also staged riot-control exercises amid worries that more disturbances may erupt in the aftermath of two controversial trials. The National Guard also conducted training sessions here last week.