The SRT, or Special Response Team, is a team of officers who go through many hours of intensive training on tactical techniques with the use of specialized weapons and equipment in order to respond to high risk calls and situations within our County.

The National Tactical Officers Association conducted a study from July 1996 to June 1997 that indicated the overwhelming percentage of incidents that required a tactical callout of SWAT officers in American cities was resolved peaceably without a single shot fired by tactical officers.

According to NTOA, 179 of 186 incidents, 96% were resolved without shots fired by SWAT officers. In the report, 106 of 186 incidents (57%) involved suspects possessing firearms. Five suspects (2.7%) were killed resulting from shots fired by SWAT officers.

The number of shots fired decreased dramatically after SWAT’s arrival on the scene. Of the 186 incidents, 41 involved shots fired. Suspects fired 168 rounds, and patrol officers fired 116 rounds before SWAT arrived. With SWAT on the scene, suspects fired 32 rounds; patrol officers fired 67. Only 7 of the 186 incidents required shots by SWAT officers, who fired a total of 59 rounds (50 of those rounds were from a single incident during the attempted rescue of a downed officer who was shot and killed by a felony suspect.)

Information courtesy of NTOA (www.ntoa.org)