2013/12/31 Council Agenda Packet

INTRODUCTION The fundamental role of law enforcement is the protection of lives and property. In this endeavor the presence of a highly trained,highly skilled police tactical unit has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of injury and loss of life to citizens,police officers and suspects when called upon to assist in the resolution of critical incidents. To that end,the Region 1 SWAT team was established in 2012. The Region 1 SWAT is comprised of specially trained,highly skilled police officers and deputies from the City of Everett and the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office. The team shall respond to any incident where special weapons, equipment and tactics are needed within the member jurisdictions and beyond if needed. The team consists of personnel with specific skills in the areas of marksmanship,tactical response and containment, deployment of specialty munitions, and hostage negotiations. Region 1 SWAT is under the direct supervision of a SWAT Commander(s) and Team Leader.An Advisory Committee of command level personnel from both agencies provides oversight of the- Team. The purpose and intent of the Region 1 SWAT team is to serve as a specialized, flexible and mobile unit, activated to assist in the containment,de-escalation and ultimate control of all situations beyond the capabilities of today's police officer. It is the intent of both agencies to have such a unit as a tactical resource, and this document is intended to establish the team mandate, structure and general operating policies and procedures for Region 1 SWAT. It is not designed, nor could the manual be crafted to cover every possible detail and/or contingency that the SWAT team may encounter. This manual cannot cover every circumstance faced by a SWAT team member or Command Officer. In every situation, good judgment, common sense and training will be used as a basis for sound decision making and determination of a course of action. This manual incorporates suggested SWAT best practices as identified by the Washington State Tactical Officers Association(WSTOA)and The National Tactical Officers Association(NTOA). The parties have developed these Standard Operating Procedures, cooperatively, as required by Section 6 of the Interlocal Agreement for Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team Cooperation. The masculine designators of"he"and"his" whenever used within this manual shall mean and include all employees. Revised 12/2013 3 24