S.W.A.T. Team

Mission
The mission of the South Snohomish County Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team is to respond to high-risk incidents that require specialized training and equipment and attempt to resolve potentially dangerous situations without injury or loss of life to officers, suspects, or uninvolved citizens.

Personnel

Officer Steve Johnson and Officer Cole Langdon compete in a regional competition

The South Snohomish County SWAT Team is a multi-jurisdictional unit with an authorized staffing level of 17 officers; four from Edmonds, four from Mountlake Terrace and nine from the Lynnwood Police Department. Command of the team is assigned to the Patrol Commander of the Lynnwood Police Department.

Activity & Accomplishments
The South Snohomish County S.W.A.T. Team experienced a 20% increase in activity this year, primarily due to an increase in the number of requests for assistance by south Snohomish County agencies and specialty units. All of the missions conducted in 2009 resulted in favorable resolutions, with the suspects successfully taken into custody without injury to officers or the public.

• The team conducted its week long training cycle at the Yakima Firing Range, taught by an instructor with 20+ years of experience in the Special Operations and Intelligence branches of the U.S. Army.
• The team served a number of high-risk search warrants in response to requests from the South Snohomish County Narcotics Task force and other local municipal investigative units.
• The team responded to an incident involving a distraught male in Edmonds, who was armed with a pistol and had fired the weapon after a domestic disturbance. SWAT team members deployed in an inner perimeter, contained and evacuated the area, and attempted negotiations with the subject. The male was subsequently taken into custody after a brief stand-off.
• Members of the team served as firearms instructors and defensive tactics instructors, providing high-level instruction and training to officers within various units of the Department.

SWAT team enroute to a crime scene