Berkeley city council votes to continue participation in Urban Shield

Protesters disrupted a Berkeley city council meeting last night during a vote about a controversial police training program.

Urban Shield is an annual event where various police departments come together to train for high-situations like mass shootings and terror attacks.  But critics say the program leads to a militarized police force, and they don't want Berkeley police taking part. 

This was the scene during a Berkeley city council meeting last night as demonstrators took to the stage holding a "Stop Urban Shield banner."

Several protesters were detained while the auditorium at Longfellow Middle School was cleared. 

The disruption came as the council was voting on whether Berkeley police should continue taking part in Urban Shield. 

Police say it's critical training, but critics say it enables police to use military style tactics to target minority communities. 

According to reports,  the council voted in favor of Berkeley police continuing to take part in urban shield for one more year. 

Although a council member tells KTVU he's not certain the vote was official because of the disruption last night.