Low copter flights part of U.S. training

U.S. Special Operations Command will be flying helicopters low over Minneapolis as part of a training that will start Sunday and continue until next weekend.

Minneapolis and St. Paul police are coordinating security for the Department of Defense's "urban-environment" training, which has been happening on a less visible scale in the area since last week.

Minneapolis police spokesman Sgt. William Palmer said Minneapolis residents may see military helicopters, such as Black Hawks and Hughes 500s. But neither the military nor police departments are disclosing where or exactly when the training is happening. They say they're worried that gawkers will create a safety hazard.

"We want to get the word out to people that this is just a training exercise and not to be alarmed," Palmer said. "We don't want to flood our 911 center with phone calls of people who are concerned."

The helicopters will fly sometime between 7 p.m. and midnight, according to a statement from the U.S. Special Operations Command.

The training exercises are expected to end Sept. 1.

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