Photo By Maj. Jason Sweeney | Members of the Santa Clara PD SWAT team practice egress from a Cal Guard CH-47 Chinook...... read more read more
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - You know what they say, you’re either SWAT or you’re not.
That may be the case, but on a warm July day at Camp San Luis Obispo members of the Santa Clara Police Department SWAT team were thanking California Army National Guard aviators for their service and for taking them on low-altitude, hard-turning rides between mountaintops and over the California coastline.
A Cal Guard CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Black Hawk and LUH-72 Lakota landed at the camp on July 30 and teamed up with 22 members of the Santa Clara PD SWAT team.
The Army National Guard crews briefed the SWAT team on the capabilities of each Army helicopter. They then practiced loading and unloading onto the aircraft before going up for orientation flights in the Central Coast sky.
“This is the first step in getting our guys acquainted with air operations,” Santa Clara PD SWAT Lt. Brett Cole said.
Cole said the briefings and orientation flights were excellent training in the event his unit and the Guard have to work together on tactical insertion missions.
The Santa Clara PD SWAT team is a highly-trained rapid response police unit that responds to all types of tactical emergencies. If there is a hostage situation way up in one of Santa Clara’s high-rise buildings, or a drug raid in a remote location, the team can request a ride from the California National Guard.
Civilian agencies can request assistance from the Cal Guard as part of the National Guard’s defense support of civil authorities (DSCA) mission—whether for fighting fires, responding to natural disasters, a terrorist attack or supporting law enforcement agencies fighting crime.
“You guys have fantastic resources available,” Cole said of the California National Guard.
The Santa Clara PD SWAT team is located in the San Francisco Bay Area’s highly-populated South Bay in the heart of Silicon Valley. The team often assists other agencies throughout the Bay Area. This year, the team is taking on an increased level of responsibility with the August opening of Santa Clara’s new Levi’s Stadium.
The state-of-art $1.3 billion stadium can seat up to 75,000 and will host San Francisco 49ers home games, soccer games, professional wrestling events and the Super Bowl in 2016. The Santa Clara SWAT team will be responsible for responding should any tactical emergency occur at the stadium.
“I think it is really beneficial for us and law enforcement agencies to work together,” said 1st Lt. Alyson Miller, a Chinook pilot with B Company, 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, out of Stockton. “We can show them what we can do and how we can help them.”
“We have a symbiotic relationship with local law enforcement agencies,” said Capt. Ben Bowman, pilot in command of the Chinook used during the training. “It helps to get face time before going out on a real-world mission.”
The 1-126th provided the CH-47 Chinook for the training. The Chinook gives SWAT the ability to insert large teams of up to 30 into hard-to-reach locations.
A Company, 3rd Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, also out of Stockton, provided the LUH-72 Lakota. The Lakota, with its forward looking infrared (FLIR) pod, downlink system and searchlight, can provide surveillance assistance and serve as a command and control platform.
The UH-60 Black Hawk, flown by a crew from Fresno’s 1106th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group, can insert small teams into tight landing zones and can also be used for command and control.
“These aircraft give us added capabilities in air operations,” Santa Clara SWAT Sgt. Greg Hill said.
Sgt. Bryston Brauer, a crew chief with the 1-126th, said he enjoyed working with the Santa Clara PD SWAT team.
“I get extra training time and experience working with other agencies,” he said. “And they get training they wouldn’t get anywhere else.”
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2014 14:00 |
| Story ID: | 138470 |
| Location: | SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 365 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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