If you see a lot more police on the roads Friday morning, don’t be surprised. The Harrisonburg Police Department is hosting a statewide competition for Special Weapons and Tactics members.
The Harrisonburg Police Department last hosted the competition in 2019.
The event will include 16 teams from across Virginia – and will challenge officers in a variety of skills under pressure. These type of conferences, according to the HPD, promote networking and sharing technical expertise and ideas for equipment and tactics.
“SWAT teams typically are called on to deal with exceedingly dangerous situations,” said Lieutenant Chris Monahan, commander of the Harrisonburg SWAT team, in a news release. “SWAT competitions give law enforcement an opportunity to test their physical, technical, communications, and decision-making skills in high stress, realistic situations. It’s also a great opportunity to not only learn, but also compete against agencies from around the area.”
Opening ceremonies begin at 8 a.m. at the Harper-Presgraves Regional Training Center off Greendale Road in Harrisonburg. Teams will compete for top ranking in the individual events as well as first, second and third overall.
SWAT officers will take part in a series of events, being rated on a variety of events that include:
- Sniper event
- Black rifle event
- Downed operator rescue
- Steel reign
- Obstacle course
- Mystery event
- Pistol shoot-off
Teams registered for this year’s event include those from:
- CIA Police Emergency Response Team
- Albemarle County Police Department
- Arlington County Police Department
- Augusta County Sheriff’s Office
- Chesterfield County Police Department
- Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office
- Hanover County Sheriff’s Office
- Manassas City Police Department
- Prince William County Police
- Radford City Police Department
- Richmond Police Department
- Stafford SWAT
The event is funded in part by local donations and team registration fees with support from the Harrisonburg Police Foundation.
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Crystal Graham
