The Northwest Regional and Gary SWAT teams are using the closed-down Majestic Star Casino Hotel in Indiana to conduct training exercises. The property, which is set to be demolished, has allowed the SWAT teams to train through a variety of scenarios.

Snipers practise taking out targets in hotel rooms, while team members conduct hostage rescue exercises within the property. Drones are often used inside the former gambling venue as part of these exercises, providing video surveillance to the command team.

One of the SWAT team members commented on the unique opportunity, stating the teams “do not get this kind of training opportunity often, so let’s take advantage of it.” Over the course of about six weeks, people from a dozen different agencies will take part in training at the former casino.

Majestic Star closed its doors for the final time in April 2021

The Majestic Star closed its doors for the final time in April 2021. Located on Lake Michigan, it consists of two combined riverboat casinos. Hard Rock International took over the property in 2019 and ultimately decided to relocate the gaming license to an inland location.

Hard Rock has since sold the property and opened a $300m casino in downtown Gary. The plan for the Majestic Star site is for it to become a secured outdoor semi-trailer parking facility.