HENRICO, Va (WTVR) -- Friday morning the entire city of Boston was on lockdown as a massive manhunt for the second suspect in the Boston bombing was underway. There was a heavy police presence throughout the city, while officers in Richmond Metro have also been busy preparing for the unexpected.
"We don't take training lightly," Henrico Police Chief Douglas A. Middleton said. "We view training these officers just as critically as the equipment that we that we give them."
Earlier this week Henrico officers were taking aim during the SWAT team training.
"This is a highly trained team," Chief Middleton said. "They're skilled at what they do."
Equipped with body armor, shields, rifles and armored vehicles, the SWAT team prepared for real-life emergencies in case a situation similar to what's happening 600 miles north in Boston were ever to make it to the streets of the Metro.
"They are preparing themselves for a mission they hope they never have to go on," Chief Middleton said.
The SWAT team oversees high risk arrests and search warrants. And the intense training they endure is required every month in preparation for the front lines of danger.
