Los Angeles is seeking the federal government's help to set up an anti-terrorism academy, the first in the country, it was reported Saturday.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief William Bratton, joined by Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, will press U.S. officials for the creation of the school for law enforcement training, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Lee Baca has begun seeking local support for a separate tactical training center where officers could get hands-on experience in responding to terrorist threats, said the paper.

The academy would complement the training center by blending theory developed there with the center's training, Bratton said.

The center under the name of Southern California Regional Homeland Security and Emergency Operations Center would allow police, fire and medical personnel to hold exercises in mock villages or neighborhoods as well as a fake airline terminal, where chemical, biological and radiation attacks would be simulated, according to the paper.

The center and the academy could make Southern California a national center for terrorism study, Bratton said.

Bratton and Baca are scheduled to meet with officials of the departments of Justice and Homeland Security next week, during which they will make a pitch for federal funds and participation in the fleshed-out academy proposal, according to the paper.

A working group of experts from USC, UCLA and other schools has developed the outline of a curriculum that they envision being provided to hundreds of law enforcement personnel each year, said the paper, quoting Deputy Chief Mark Leap, head of counter- terrorism for the Los Angeles Police Department.

There would be four or five courses each for executive managers, middle managers, line officers and counter-terrorism investigators, Leap said.

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