For those wondering about the large gathering of police officers at Edmonds’ Civic Playfield Wednesday, Edmonds Police Department spokesperson Cmdr. Josh McClure said it was required training for the Allied Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT). According to the EPD webpage, the department is a member of a multi-jurisdictional team that is made up of approximately 50 members. “This specially trained team responds to large scale crowd control/riot situations and/or large scale events in order to deter civil unrest and protect life and property,” the webpage said.