During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit in late September, demonstrators gathered outside Joint Base Andrews as his aircraft arrived in Maryland. The event brought together many of the challenges that make public order incidents near federal and military installations so complex: protecting demonstrators’ rights to free expression, maintaining safety around a sensitive facility, and coordinating across local, state, and federal agencies during a high-profile event.

Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) and partner agencies were well prepared for this situation. Earlier this year, the Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency Response System (MDERS) and PGPD’s District V developed a tabletop exercise built around a protest near the gates of Joint Base Andrews. The exercise had participants work through a growing and increasingly disruptive demonstration while deciding on proportional responses, managing resources, and maintaining communication with federal partners. Representatives from Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department and Joint Base Andrews Security Forces took part, building the relationships and shared understanding that matter most when an incident is underway.

This collaboration had a vital role during demonstrations outside of Andrews Air Force Base as supporters and protestors of Xi Jinping directly confronted each other. Verbal and physical altercations between different groups were deescalated and contained to manage the overall incident. The preceding tabletop was imperative to align coordination and response efforts between local and federal partners.

The recent demonstration shows that MDERS’s work with regional partners goes beyond training. Planning, exercises, and coordination are designed to strengthen how first responders operate during real events, when clear communication and established partnerships make a difference. MDERS will continue working with PGPD federal partners and other stakeholders across the region to prepare for future challenges and support safe, coordinated responses.

Written by Elizabeth Adams