Georgia state public safety and department of defense train combining resources [Image 1 of 9]

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES

07.16.2014

Photo by Staff Sgt. Tracy Smith 

Georgia National Guard

Briefing members of a special operations team for the Georgia State Patrol, Chief Warrant Officer 2 J.J. Sutherland, 1-185th Aviation Regiment's aviation operations officer, reiterates safety protocols prior to a training exercise Wednesday. The partnership training opportunity was borne of a chance encounter that will reinforce professional relationships between the state of Georgia's Special Weapons and Tactics team (SWAT) and the Georgia National Guard's 1st Battalion, 185th Aviation Regiment. The aerial training exercise, featuring fast rope insertion and extraction operations that included rappelling, had historical value as the first of its kind for the unique partnership between Georgia's public safety and department of defense. History not withstanding, the two entities are critical components of the infrastructure that comprises Georgia's security assets. Dive and SWAT team officer in charge Capt. Steven B. Bone says it was kismet and good economic sense that created the opportunity for the safety entities to do aerial training in Winder. "When the colonel (Mark W. McDonough, Georgia Department of Public Safety commissioner) and Maj. Gen. Butterworth (Jim Butterworth, the adjutant general for Georgia's Department of Defense) met they wanted to cement a training partnership that would make better use of our resources and give us the edge in crisis responsiveness." Although the first of its kind, the partnership will be solidified with additional training later in the year. (Georgia National Guard photo by Army Staff Sgt. Tracy J. Smith | released)

• Date Taken: 07.16.2014
• Date Posted: 07.16.2014 19:40
• Photo ID: 1450621
• VIRIN: 140716-Z-PA893-004
• Resolution: 5184x3456
• Size: 6.8 MB
• Location: ATLANTA, GEORGIA, US