OGDEN — Ogden residents woke up to the sounds of gunfire, explosions and low-flying helicopters around 1 a.m. Saturday, sparking confusion and even panic.
They found out later it was just a drill.
Ogden police explained Saturday they were helping with an Army Special Operations training exercise at a vacant building on 24th Street and Monroe Boulevard, formerly a Rite Aid.
A reverse 911 call had been sent to nearby residents around 8 p.m. Friday, notifying them of the exercise. However, a number of residents either didn't answer the call or didn't receive it. Many posted on Ogden resident Facebook groups about the ordeal, and some even called 911 to report shots fired.
Ian Luria was awakened by the sound of the helicopters flying near his home. He said he did not receive prior notice.
"I don't have a landline, so I was not able to get the reverse 911," he said. "I wish that the city had planned more in advance to alert residents. … I had no way of knowing."
Ogden City Council issued an apology letter Saturday afternoon for not properly communicating the scope of the training exercise. The council said it had no prior knowledge of the event.
Though the mayor's office was aware of what was to happen, "The administration was not aware of the scope of the exercise. They believed that the exercise would take place inside the building with little disruption to the neighborhood," the council's letter stated.
Ogden police released a statement apologizing for waking up and alarming residents, but stood by its communication methods.
"We did not utilize social media because a crowd would have meant more people and less safety for everyone involved," the statement said. "Military and law enforcement routinely conduct training like this to increase interoperability and give our soldiers an opportunity to train in the most realistic environments available. All of this training is carefully planned and executed to balance realism and safety for everyone involved — especially for our citizens."
The statement encouraged residents to register with CodeRED, an emergency notification service used to send public safety notifications via phone, text message, email and social media.
Many Facebook users posted concerned replies to the department's apology letter.
"I have four children at home and they were TERRIFIED," Matthew Cheeney commented. "Gunshots, helicopters, the neighborhood overrun with police. We fully believed there was a massive shootout right behind our home."
Contributing: Sean Moody