County Forming SWAT Team
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Kosciusko County will have a new way of fighting crime in the coming year. With the creation of a Special Weapons And Tactics team, the county will have added protection against dangerous, high-risk situations.
The City of Warsaw Police Department and the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department have combined their manpower to create a SWAT team that will serve the entire county.
The idea of a SWAT team began in 1994 with Warsaw officer Chuck Hodges. In the beginning, Warsaw worked closely with the South Bend SWAT team to get ideas and help establish a foundation. The idea of the specialized team caught on in the Warsaw department, and eventually spread to include the Sheriff's Department.
The 14-man SWAT team will be a first-line defense against high-risk and potentially dangerous situations. They will be available to serve high-risk warrants and arrests for the sheriff such as those to drug offenders. They may also help with drug buys and busts.
They will be available to serve in high-profile, dangerous situations such as hostage situations, sniper actions, or to arrest a barricaded, armed suspect.
Team leader Craig Bale said the team will be available, "Anytime a street officer thinks it would be helpful to have the equipment and team."
The SWAT team wants to make sure there is no distinction between themselves and the other officers in their departments other than a more specialized training.
"We are not better than other cops, we just have training that makes us better prepared in skills and equipment," Team leader Chuck Hodges said.
Bale agreed. "We are not better than anyone. We train as a team to function as a team."
Members of the fledgling SWAT team attended a week-long course last summer at Eastern Michigan University to learn basic SWAT training.
The two leaders said there is always a carmarderie among team members when a team such as Dive or Swat train together.
If it is a problem and the officer at the scene wants backup from the SWAT, the officer will contact his street supervisor. He will then contact SWAT commander Paul Schmitt, who will decide the team is needed. Team leaders Hodges and Bale will contact the individuals on the team through a paging system.
"The big thing is officer safety," Hodges said. "If it looks and feels bad... it probably is. We are not trying to take away from the road guys."
Hodges said safety for officers in most important, and the decision to call the SWAT team will be up to the discretion of the road officers.
There are currently no neighboring counties that touch Kosciusko who have SWAT teams, according to Hodges and Bale. Some of the closest teams include South Bend, LaPorte, and Fort Wayne.
The Kosciusko County SWAT team has snipers, chemical distraction experts, dog handlers and men trained in tactical explosive entries.
Bale says most skills the SWAT team uses are just mastering of the basic police skills.
"We do more practice with regular things to make us more proficient," said Bale. "But we don't want to separate ourselves from regular cops. We are allowed the opportunity to train together, [which is] the major benefit. You know what each other is thinking and doing."
The SWAT team is able to pass their specialized training on to the road officers who cannot take the time to go to the training. As Hodges said, "The training brings the entire department together."
To be on the team, an officer or deputy must have three years road experience. He then applies and is evaluated by his supervisor and the team. He must undergo a physical fitness test and rigorous firearms qualifications.
"We had a definite need [for a SWAT team]," said Bale. Hodges agreed, "We had problem areas before."
The county-wide SWAT team idea allows the team to combine and save money and manpower. Bale said, "There is no blue or brown, we are all out for each other."
The SWAT training continues every month. They have worked in local buildings to train in elevator and stairwells as well as schoolbuses.
The SWAT team uses special equipment for entries as well as communications. The team is trained in hand signals, as well as wearing headsets to communicate with each other. They have members trained in gas to provide distractions as well as unarmed combat.
"Our goal is to be deployable by Jan. 1,"Schmitt said.
"Our job is life-saving," said Hodges.
"Hopefully we'll never be needed," said Bale. Hodges agreed. "Hopefully it's just training." [[In-content Ad]]
Kosciusko County will have a new way of fighting crime in the coming year. With the creation of a Special Weapons And Tactics team, the county will have added protection against dangerous, high-risk situations.
The City of Warsaw Police Department and the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department have combined their manpower to create a SWAT team that will serve the entire county.
The idea of a SWAT team began in 1994 with Warsaw officer Chuck Hodges. In the beginning, Warsaw worked closely with the South Bend SWAT team to get ideas and help establish a foundation. The idea of the specialized team caught on in the Warsaw department, and eventually spread to include the Sheriff's Department.
The 14-man SWAT team will be a first-line defense against high-risk and potentially dangerous situations. They will be available to serve high-risk warrants and arrests for the sheriff such as those to drug offenders. They may also help with drug buys and busts.
They will be available to serve in high-profile, dangerous situations such as hostage situations, sniper actions, or to arrest a barricaded, armed suspect.
Team leader Craig Bale said the team will be available, "Anytime a street officer thinks it would be helpful to have the equipment and team."
The SWAT team wants to make sure there is no distinction between themselves and the other officers in their departments other than a more specialized training.
"We are not better than other cops, we just have training that makes us better prepared in skills and equipment," Team leader Chuck Hodges said.
Bale agreed. "We are not better than anyone. We train as a team to function as a team."
Members of the fledgling SWAT team attended a week-long course last summer at Eastern Michigan University to learn basic SWAT training.
The two leaders said there is always a carmarderie among team members when a team such as Dive or Swat train together.
If it is a problem and the officer at the scene wants backup from the SWAT, the officer will contact his street supervisor. He will then contact SWAT commander Paul Schmitt, who will decide the team is needed. Team leaders Hodges and Bale will contact the individuals on the team through a paging system.
"The big thing is officer safety," Hodges said. "If it looks and feels bad... it probably is. We are not trying to take away from the road guys."
Hodges said safety for officers in most important, and the decision to call the SWAT team will be up to the discretion of the road officers.
There are currently no neighboring counties that touch Kosciusko who have SWAT teams, according to Hodges and Bale. Some of the closest teams include South Bend, LaPorte, and Fort Wayne.
The Kosciusko County SWAT team has snipers, chemical distraction experts, dog handlers and men trained in tactical explosive entries.
Bale says most skills the SWAT team uses are just mastering of the basic police skills.
"We do more practice with regular things to make us more proficient," said Bale. "But we don't want to separate ourselves from regular cops. We are allowed the opportunity to train together, [which is] the major benefit. You know what each other is thinking and doing."
The SWAT team is able to pass their specialized training on to the road officers who cannot take the time to go to the training. As Hodges said, "The training brings the entire department together."
To be on the team, an officer or deputy must have three years road experience. He then applies and is evaluated by his supervisor and the team. He must undergo a physical fitness test and rigorous firearms qualifications.
"We had a definite need [for a SWAT team]," said Bale. Hodges agreed, "We had problem areas before."
The county-wide SWAT team idea allows the team to combine and save money and manpower. Bale said, "There is no blue or brown, we are all out for each other."
The SWAT training continues every month. They have worked in local buildings to train in elevator and stairwells as well as schoolbuses.
The SWAT team uses special equipment for entries as well as communications. The team is trained in hand signals, as well as wearing headsets to communicate with each other. They have members trained in gas to provide distractions as well as unarmed combat.
"Our goal is to be deployable by Jan. 1,"Schmitt said.
"Our job is life-saving," said Hodges.
"Hopefully we'll never be needed," said Bale. Hodges agreed. "Hopefully it's just training." [[In-content Ad]]