For 17 years, S.W.A.T. (which stands for Special Weapons and Tactics) teams have been coming to Santa Clara County to participate in the largest invitational S.W.A.T. competition in the Western United States. This event hosted by the Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff, offers teams a chance to compete against each other in 7 team and individual events. With bragging rights at stake, these highly skilled individuals put out their best efforts and tested their accuracy and endurance in these challenging events.

Physical Challenge Course:
After ten years, the grueling Hill Run has been replaced by a more varied physical challenge.  While still incorporating movement of a Stokes litter and a 165lb dummy, the course now blends pure endurance with a variety of physical obstacles that require a team effort to overcome. (Event description provided by SCCSO website)

Sniper Course:
This course emphasizes the extensive movements a sniper must undertake to get into position, as well as the pinpoint accuracy necessary to do this demanding job. A more realistic challenge than courses which merely place the shooter at a starting point, it begins with a climb over a 6 foot wooden wall. The shooter must then pick up an unloaded rifle and sprint to the first station, where a series of shots are required from both sitting and kneeling positions. The participant must then run to the next shooting station, and fire four shots from the standing, kneeling and prone positions.

The Two Person Assault Course:
This event tests the abilities of the “two-person team”, the smallest basic component of all S.W.A.T. units. One officer carries a submachine gun, and the other is armed with just his/her service handgun. The event begins with a 100 yard run through an obstacle course, at the end of which the officers must engage a dozen steel “bad-guy” targets which are interspersed among “hostages”. The participants then progress through two “entry-house” stations. Inside each “house”, the officers encounter another mixture of “perpetrators” and “hostages”, which must be correctly assessed and dealt with at ranges from five to ten yards. Oftentimes they will find some form of moving or “pop-up” targets during this phase, testing their reaction times and target-identification abilities under stress. At the final station, the two officers must “low-crawl” under a barrier made of telephone poles, and engage another rack of steel targets from beneath this cover.

The Combined Weapons Course:
This event tests proficiency in the operation of the three basic weapons utilized by S.W.A.T. teams. Incorporating running and shooting in a timed setting, the handgun, submachine gun, and shotgun are fired at multiple targets from a wide variety of positions, and at challenging and difficult angles.

The Shotgun Course:
This tactical course combines running, rapid re-loading, and accurate shooting of the shotgun over a wide range of distances, at targets presenting “hostage” situations, from a number of awkward and challenging shooting positions, and utilizing both conventional and “less-lethal” rounds.

The Teams Assault Course:
This live-fire house scenario is the ne plus ultra of S.W.A.T. challenges, requiring a total team effort. It requires a team to physically force entry into a fortified stronghold, identify and neutralize numerous threats (often involving dynamic moving targets), and rescue a real-weight “hostage” dummy.

The Jungle Trail:
This course is a one-mile trek through thick brush, heavily populated with both “bad-guy” and “hostage” targets. Additionally, numerous booby traps are scattered throughout the course. This event is designed to simulate a search for fugitives, with hostages, in the wild. As with all courses, it is timed, and teams must move quickly, yet remain alert for threats the entire way.

During the Jungle Trail, I really came to appreciate how challenging it is to be one of these S.W.A.T. team members. I was given the rare access to shadow the S.W.A.T. Team and course instructors and witness first hand what it’s like going through the mile long Jungle Trail. I was so amped when we started. I had my EyePro, EarPro, bullet proof vest (safety first!!), and camera in hand. I lined up next to the San Francisco Sheriff Department as they locked and loaded their weapons. While they were going to do all the running, climbing, repelling, and shooting, all I had to do was keep up and not get shot. Pretty easy huh?

I took off at a full sprint, trying to stay one step behind and capture all of the various shots. Even with the short cuts I was taking, they were quicker. I ran down the mountain, over branches and shrubs, and managed to barely keep up. Remember this is a full mile course over rigorous terrain. My heart was pumping, and guns were going off all around me from the 6 person team.

And before I knew it, it was a mad sprint/hike to the finish line. I stuck to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Instructors as we made our way back up the mountain.

This is when I first realized how out of shape I was. I must have stopped 2 or 3 times to catch my breath. But eventually with the encouragement of the Instructors, I made it to the top. Panting, and short of breath, I just wanted to lay down. All of a sudden everything started to get blurry and I sat down. Within minutes, the range safety crew was all over me.  Severe dehydration. Having a light lunch, and running up and down the hills was not a good combination.

But the one fact not to be glossed over was that as tired as I was from that one run, the Instructors were on their 12th of the day! If they get tired and slack off, someone could get hurt. It’s their constant training and mental endurance that keeps their skills sharpened. Because in their situations, it truly is life and death.

But back to the event. This entire event is free to all participating team thanks to donations by corporate / private individuals and fees collected from the vendors at the competition.  They had armor, clothing sales, custom made ear protection, flashlights, and, of course, guns.

And what competition would be complete without an amazing lunch?

Invitees were also given a chance to fire the MP-5 Submachine Gun, similar to the kind used by numerous S.W.A.T. teams.  For some this was the first time that they’ve handled a gun.

A special thanks to Sheriff Smith for the invitation to come out and witness first hand the hard work and training that these specialized teams go through in order to protect our cities. And to all of the SCCSO Instructors and range safety members for keeping me safe and hydrated.

For further images click HERE

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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 11:11 pm and is filed under Photography, Adventures, Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.