Phantom ReportSource: TwinCities The Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment has a saying — “Night Stalkers Don’t Quit.” It apparently doesn’t always let people sleep, either.
The airborne unit’s Black Hawk helicopters arrived without warning Monday night, rattling for hours over Highland Park and around apartment buildings in downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis, and angering residents and elected officials alike.
They’ll be back.
The copters are taking part in U.S. military exercises that will continue sporadically into Thursday evening — local law enforcement officials said — but now with a little more public notice.
“It’s something that we do 10 to 15 times a year throughout the country,” said Maj. Allen Hill, a spokesman for the unit — known as the “Night Stalkers” — based out of Fort Campbell, Ky.
“It provides our pilots an unfamiliar environment — an area they’re not accustomed to. Towns like Minneapolis, St. Paul, Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, they’re all great hosts,” Hill said. “The cities invite us.”
When they flew over the Twin Cities in 2012, St. Paul and Minneapolis police began notifying the public three days before the training ramped up. At the time, police said they didn’t want to tie up 911 centers with calls from alarmed residents.
This time, though, no such warning was made. And beginning about 7:30 p.m. Monday, about 200 callers clogged the Ramsey County Emergency Communications Center’s 911 and non-emergency phone lines.
A host of Highland Park and downtown St. Paul residents complained about the four-hour trainings, which were photographed and posted to social media by alarmed observers.
St. Paul police, who also fielded calls and inquiries on social media, directed media inquiries to the Minneapolis Police Department, the lead agency coordinating with the military.
“We understand the concern and confusion these activities may have created for the public,” said St. Paul police spokesman Howie Padilla in a statement.
Tonya Tennessen, spokeswoman for St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, said the mayors of St. Paul and Minneapolis agreed months ago to host the exercises. This time, the military asked that unlike in 2012, Minneapolis police take the lead on communications.
“Going forward, the St. Paul Police Department and the city of St. Paul will take the lead in communications, just as we did in 2012,” said Tennessen, who otherwise defended the trainings.
“In a post-9/11 world, this is how homeland security happens. … These exercises are taking place in cities all over the country.”
At first blush Wednesday, some residents thought the seven or eight low-flying Black Hawk helicopters were crashing into their windows. Others said they spotted military personnel rappelling onto the top of the eight-story Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Minneapolis.
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““It provides our pilots an unfamiliar environment — an area they’re not accustomed to. Towns like Minneapolis, St. Paul, Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, they’re all great hosts,” Hill said.”
I see…and what are military bases used for again if you don’t train and build simulations on them?
““The cities invite us.””
Really? And who’s in charge of the city? Oh yea, WE THE PEOPLE!!! Also, I don’t remember the cities asking the people to vote on it nor would they because it’s UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!!!
this is an orientation exercise to get used to the layout of the area.
so they wont get lost when the SHTF and they come in hot!
Yep. Agreed. It’s so they can quickly pick up the elites from the top of their high-rise buildings when the SHTF.
Hope the area has a lot of militia snipers to take out the choppers with the elites in them when it happens.