When the cops call 911

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Patrick Harrower
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Sometimes Security Forces personnel can become overwhelmed by a situation and they may have exhausted every possible non-lethal resource at their disposal. There may be a tense, hostile standoff that requires a specialized team of individuals who are capable of thinking outside the box to get the mission done. That is when the Travis SWAT team steps up.

"When everything has been used down to the last resort, we get called in to neutralize the threat," said Staff Sgt. Teames, 60th Security Forces Squadron emergency services team leader. "The SWAT team is composed of security forces personnel who are able to think outside the box and have the mental fortitude to accomplish the commander's mission."

The SWAT team is composed of cops from the 60th SFS, but they are not exclusive to the team. Each member has typical police duties that range from canine handler to Raven, protecting aircraft, and SWAT is an additional duty, Teames said.

"When I am not out on Raven missions, I spend my free time training with the SWAT team," said Staff Sgt. Mollenhauer, 60th SFS emergency services team assistant leader. "All of our training happens during off-duty time. We also do a lot of training with local law enforcement SWAT teams."

The Travis SWAT team trains with police from as far as Roseville, to as close as Fairfield. They even train with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Mollenhauer said.

"When we perform joint training with other SWAT teams, we learn a lot from each other," Mollenhauer said.

Training is very important to the SWAT team because every member has to know how to do every other members job. When going into high-risk situations, it is important to trust the individual in front of you and behind you. Every team member is honing their medical skills so they can react quickly and perform self aid buddy care on each other, said Senior Airman Webb, 60th SFS emergency services team member.

"It's crucial to learn each other's job," Webb said. "If someone is the first or last in the stack, the 'breacher' or the 'shieldman'; if they go down, I need to know how to pick up their tools and go. It's the ultimate team concept."

"There is a certain way to properly use the shield," Mollenhauer said. "You don't just hold it; there is an art to it."

"No name and rank on the uniforms allows everyone to feel open and free to contribute their opinion about what is going on," Teames said. "Even the lowest ranking troops are encouraged to critique, criticize and bring ideas to the table about a situation."

To become a member of the team, each member has to show they have what it takes to think on their feet and commit to training beyond their basic duties, Teames said.

"How you react in certain situations and carry yourself on a deployment can determine if you get asked to join the SWAT team," Webb said. "Someone may just come up to you and say you are good for the team. After that, it's all about getting put through the right situations to prove yourself."