‘Boardwalk Empire’ Set Used For NYPD Hostage Drill [Video]
HBO loaned the New York City police department its Atlantic City boardwalk replica that was built for Boardwalk Empire for a hostage drill yesterday.
The NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit trained in the anti-terrorist and hostage rescue exercise on the set in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
The New York Post describes the NYPD exercise:
“Heavily-armed cops staged a hostage rescue today on the Brooklyn set of HBO’s hit drama “Boardwalk Empire,” which features actor Steve Buscemi as crooked politician Nucky Thompson.
“The drill, which happened in Greenpoint, starred college students enrolled in the NYPD Cadet Corps as hostages being kept inside the show’s Ritz Carlton Hotel, an iconic location on the Atlantic City boardwalk.
“Emergency Service Unit officers responded by helicopter and rappelled down onto the set using ropes.”
According to NBC, “The ESU rescued the decoy hostages from the mock Ritz Carlton Hotel building, and took six decoy armed terrorists into custody. A ‘wounded officer’ was also airlifted to safety.” An NYPD sergeant told NBC that “It looked like you were walking into the 1920s, on to the boardwalk. It was very, very realistic.”
Season 3 of Boardwalk Empire, HBO’s hit show about prohibition-era Atlantic City and the corrupt politicians and gangsters that run things, premiered Sunday night. The show has received praise for, among other things, the authenticity of its production values and attention to detail, which includes the design and construction of the boardwalk and the interiors.
Watch a clip about the NYPD emergency exercise on the Boardwalk Empire set:
