To
deal with crisis situations requiring specialized skills and training beyond
that of a basic academy, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office has a Special
Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.
The
team consists of eighteen (18) members who participate in SWAT on a part-time
basis in addition to their regular assigned duties. There are two negotiators
and four snipers available to the team. The snipers cross-train as entry team
members as well. To become a member of the SWAT team an officer must pass a
three-phase process including physical agility, firearms proficiency, and an
oral interview. Upon assignment to the team, members receive a basic issue of
specialized equipment for tactical operations as well as advanced training in
weapons and tactics.
All SWAT team members
are on call twenty-four (24) hours a day should a situation arise requiring
their response. Most team members have take-home cruisers, which aids in the
rapid response to a crisis. The team has handled a
variety
of callouts in the past to include: high-risk warrant service (fugitives from
justice as well as suspects wanted for murder), narcotics search warrants,
barricaded subjects, and riot control. In addition, the team has responded to
other jurisdictions to assist with the apprehension of violent criminals. Local
agencies and agencies from other counties have both requested the team’s
assistance. The number of activations varies from year to year; however,
the team has averaged 6-10 callouts per year for the past several years with a
low of 3 and a high of 12.
Members
of the team train eight hours a month to maintain their proficiency and skills.
Each member of the team attends a basic SWAT school as time and finances
permit. There are instructors within the membership of the team to provide
training in tactics, firearms, less-lethal force, distraction devices, and gas
deployment. Members have attended various tactical schools taught by
instructors from the Los Angeles (California) Police Department, Miami-Dade
(Florida) Metro Police Department, Dayton (Ohio) Police Department, Lexington
(Kentucky) Police Department, and the United States Military. Tactics are taken
from the various schools and evaluated and adapted by the team membership to
form specific operational procedures and protocol for the team.
