Thin Blue Line: Swat Training

Saturday, 22 December 2012

Swat Training

I just finished the SWAT training hosted by the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department SWAT Team. Lt. James Anderson, head of the school, gave the students a briefing about mutual expectations. The training consisted of various tactics, techniques, and strategies. I absorbed everything I could from those who deal with life and death. Although the instructors discussed successful SWAT operations, they were also quick to point out their failures, as well. They taught us to always plan for contingencies.As I sat there with other tactical officers, I thought back to the beginning of this journey. In 2008, I learned that my younger brother was involved in a motorcycle accident and was in critical condition. My wife and I drove immediately to Dallas from Oklahoma to meet the family at the hospital.I kept telling myself that everything would be all right. My brother would just need bed rest after he left the hospital. By the time I arrived, .he had taken a turn for the worst. He was in a coma. I wept seeing my brother lying there with tubes coming out of him and a machine breathing for him. I think almost anyone who sees a loved one in this kind of condition would have the same reaction.I went into the “negotiate with God” mode. We all have done that at some point in our lives, haven’t we? We negotiate with our kids, bosses, and other people daily. We, as humans, do it all the time. In law enforcement, I’ve been involved with police negotiations when a chaplain has been requested. For me, it has usually ended successfully, without a shot being fired. The bad guy goes to jail or to mental health treatment and everyone walks away.