Utah County Metro SWAT Team
It is the mission statement of the Utah County Metro SWAT Team to utilize highly trained , highly skilled law enforcement tactical operators when called upon to assist in the resolution of critical incidents. The concept of the SWAT Team is to provide an organized structured response to critical, high risk situations which are beyond the capabilities of other departmental units. The use of SWAT Teams nationwide have been shown to substantially reduce the risk of injury or loss of life to citizens, police officers and suspects.
It is the goal of SWAT to resolve each situation with the minimal amount of force necessary to safely manage the situation.
History
The Utah County SWAT Team was founded in the late 1970’s by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. In the beginning, there were only four members on the team. The team was used for incidents at the jail and search warrants for narcotics. In 1998 the team expanded into a forty man Metro SWAT Team. Approximately ten different agencies currently participate in the Utah County Metro SWAT program.
The team consists of a SWAT Lieutenant, a Tactical Commander, Four Team Leaders, and thirty-five members. The primary focus and responsibility of the team is for handling high risk search warrants, barricaded subjects, hostage situations, active shooter incidents, and any other situations that may need a highly trained unit to respond. The most important job of a SWAT Team is to save lives in dangerous situations.
SWAT members are highly trained in several types of tactics. Members attend required training monthly and are required to qualify with weapons several times per year. All members have to successfully complete a basic SWAT school called “Hell Week” before they can be considered for the team. Hell Week is similar to basic training put on by the military.
Many of the SWAT Team members specialize in different areas such as Snipers (Sharp Shooters), Submachine Gun Operators, Scouts, Explosive Entry, Breechers, Non-lethal, etc. The Utah County SWAT Team is called out on approximately fifty operations a year, which would include high-risk search warrants, barricaded gunman, hostage situations, active shooter situations, crowd control, or searches for dangerous criminals.
