Delco re:View Fall 2017 - 19

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Delco Special Weapons
and Tactics (SWAT)
Team Challenge

Together, Everyone Achieves More. .

I

n the event SWAT teams are dispatched
in Delaware County, multiple
departments are often utilized to perform
a singular operation. Situations in which
public or police safety is under threat may
warrant multiple agencies being dispatched
to thwart a potentially dangerous suspect.
Pictured: The Central Delco SWAT
Team with District Attorney Jack Whelan

October. This 2017 Delco Special Weapons and Tactics
(SWAT) Team Challenge included members from Upper
Darby, Central Delco, Chester City, Region 1 and Haverford,
who were tasked with grueling physical challenges and
team-oriented operations at the Delaware County Emergency
Services Training Center.
The Delaware County SWAT Challenge, a showing
of camaraderie between departments, as well as a
unified training competition moderated and scored by
the Philadelphia division of the FBI, plays a crucial role
in familiarizing the various departments by working in
tandem. The challenges taken on not only tested the teams'
performances, but also increased their performances in a
controlled environment.
What differs in Delaware County from a city like
Philadelphia, whose SWAT falls under the jurisdiction of the
Philadelphia Police Department, is often various departments
will not coordinate outside of active shooter or hostage
situations. This puts the cohesiveness that is penultimate
detail in being SWAT member, tactical response, in jeopardy.

"We have 43 police departments and 42 of them are
municipal," said county District Attorney Jack Whelan. "It
is really important to cross-coordinate all of their efforts,
because we do run into situations, maybe 15-20 times a year,
where a SWAT team is a called out and they have to react and
they have to be trained together."
At the close of Delaware County's Special Weapons and
Tactics (SWAT) team challenge, a winner was crowned. The
Central Delco SWAT team came out as the victor after the
pistol, rifle and sniper shooting challenges, obstacle course,
and officer-down scenarios. Second place went to Upper
Darby SWAT while Haverford SWAT finished third.

Congratulations Central Delco SWAT team!
The competition was sponsored by VIDEON Dodge,
Chrysler, Jeep and Ram of Newtown Square. *

Fall 2017

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