Tennessee Official Suspended After Mock Drill

An emergency management director is off the job as investigators probe a security drill gone amok in Tennessee. The drill disrupted a county commission meeting with guns and mock hostage takers, and upset local officials, law enforcement and members of the public.

According to the Associated Press (AP), Ernest Jackson, the emergency management director in Carter County, has been suspended, with pay, until the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation finishes its probe of the drill.

AP reports that three men and a woman burst into the meeting with guns drawn and claimed to be taking hostages. One man threatened to explode a bomb with a device he was holding. Another fired a shot, which turned out to be a blank. After the meeting dissolved, Jackson announced it was a drill.

The city police didn't know Jackson was planning the drill, and responded to what they thought was a hostage situation. Renee Bowers, who is taking over Jackson's position during his suspension, said the agency had been trying to make disaster drills more realistic.

To read the full AP report, click here: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/08/04/
tenn_official_suspended_after_mock_drill/.