The Topoff counterterrorism drill turned into a real-life police lockdown this afternoon after three bomb-sniffing dogs alerted authorities to possible explosives in the parking garage of the Doubletree Hotel Portland at 1000 NE Multnomah Blvd. A portion of the Topoff drill was scheduled to take place at the hotel later today.

Portland police have cordoned off several blocks stretching from Northeast Multnomah Street to Holladay Street and Ninth Avenue to 13th Avenue, around the Lloyd Center. They've also shut down MAX trains through the area, and the hotel and some surrounding buildings are being evacuated.

Topoff activities have been scaled back this afternoon, while authorities deal with the situation. Police spokesman Brian Schmautz said officers were sweeping the area in advance of visits by "dignitaries" as part of the drill. Homeland Security chief Michael Certoff is in Portland for the Topoff drill and was, according to a FEMA employee evacuating the hotel, scheduled to be there this afternoon. The FEMA employee declined to give his name, saying he didn't have authorization to talk to the press.

Police were using a pair of "explosives sensitive" police dogs in the sweep, Schmautz said. "One dog got an alert at this car. The second dog was called in and also gave an alert." A third dog later came to the parking garage, and had the same reaction as the first two.

Authorities initially focused on one vehicle, which turned out to be owned by a participant in the Topoff exercise. The car's owner was located and is cooperating, and police now say they are expanding the search to other vehicles in the garage. It's windy, Schmautz said, so it's possible the dogs are picking up smells from any of several vehicles in the same area.

There are a number of military and Homeland Security employees in the area for the counterterrorism exercise, so Schmautz says it's possible one of their vehicles inadvertently picked up explosive residue or something else that might set off the dogs. But until authorities know more, he said, "we are going to evacuate everything we need to evacuate."


If they cannot even conduct a training exercise without screwing everything up, what happens when something real happens?

I like the other thread title better.

I would have posted sooner but I was busy working late, running around like a chicken with it's legs cut off.