Before last Thursday, I thought all SWAT operations were filled with gunfire and intense confrontation, so I was unsure how to feel going into our STRC weekly meeting during which Jay Glickman had organized a visit from the Montgomery Country SWAT Central Region Team. I had visions of the room being surrounded with no way out.
Imagine my surprise then when one of the SWAT members sat with us at a table and told us that it was nothing like TV. Instead of high intensity chases and shoot outs, SWAT is all about de-escalation, negotiation, careful planning and a lot of training. Their goal is to resolve conflicts peacefully and minimize casualties. In fact, the team that visited us had not been responsible for a single casualty in 25 years during 8-10 responses per year.
The level of planning that went into the team’s visit to our meeting was impressive in itself. They arrived early in a heavy-duty black van that is used to transport some of their equipment and moved quickly as a team to set up. They ran through the history and talked about the level of training they go through, the knowledge and strength of their team, and the backgrounds of their members. Each teammate was highly aware of where their other teammates were and was ready to step in and cover for anything needed.
SWAT members are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to serve the community and are deeply committed to their work as peacekeepers. Talking with the team made me think about how I might apply some of the principles they use in my own work at CEPI in leading preparations for future pandemics and at KAFO leading development efforts in Burkina Faso. Both efforts are loosely coordinated but would benefit greatly from an increased level of planning, knowledge, training and teamwork such as that shown by the Montgomery County SWAT Central Region Team.
The team’s visit also made me think about the work we do together in the Souderton-Telford Rotary Club. We have so many highly effective committees that work together to get things done and such a long legacy of tangible results. Next month we will have the chance to talk about where we have been as a club and where we are going at our Annual Meeting being held on April 24. Please join us as we come together to discuss where we have been and where we are going and plan our own strategy and tactics for making it a reality.
In Rotary
Kate Hoath
President
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