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OGDEN (AP) — Ogden police are apologizing that loud training activities early Saturday morning startled and confused some residents of the northern Utah city.
The Standard-Examiner reports that a joint military and law enforcement training exercise involved helicopters hovering over homes and other loud activities.
The training exercise took place at the abandoned Rite Aid building near the intersection of 24th Street and Monroe Boulevard, Ogden police officials said. The police department acknowledged in a 5 a.m. Facebook post that the training activity was both loud and late.
The Ogden City Council sent a letter of apology to residents Saturday afternoon stating it had no prior knowledge of the exercise.
"We are particularly apologetic to those of you who may have been especially affected by the event due to ill health, past military or life experiences, or other personal situations that may have caused increased anxiety and fear," the letter read.
Police officials said affected residents were supposed to be alerted beforehand by an automated reverse-calling system but that some residences said they didn't get the notification.
"I don't have a landline," resident Ian Luria told KSL TV. "I was not able to get reverse 911. (I) wish the city had planned more in advance, through an app... I had no way of knowing."
The police department said it didn't announce the training beforehand on social media because that could have created a safety hazard by attracting a crowd to the area.
The city council said it is taking every comment and social media post seriously and acknowledges the reverse 911 program was not an effective communication tool in this case.
"We have learned from this experience and are committed to working with the administration to develop more effective communications tools — particularly for emergency situations," the city council letter read.
Contributing: Yvette Cruz, KSL.com and Sean Moody, KSL TV
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