UPDATE: This excercise was canceled on Wednesday due to the real-world events involving multiple shootings in Rochester.
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If you see a lot of police activity around the Rochester area on Wednesday, it may be due to a Homeland Security training exercise.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Rochester Police Department, with support from the county’s Office of Emergency Management, Emergency Communications Department and Public Safety Communications, will be conducting a Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation program from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Officials say this is a standard procedure, used to test capabilities for incident management, law enforcement response and emergency communications. It is done in relation to a variety of mock terroristic events across Monroe County.
Authorities say local residents may notice increased law enforcement presence in several locations throughout the day. They do emphasize that all real-world emergencies take precedence over these exercises and you should call 911 as usual if you need emergency services.