Cabot large enough to need SWAT team, police chief says

By Amy Widner

LITTLE ROCK — Cabot Police Department is in the infancy stages of building a SWAT team and sent three officers to the FBI’s basic SWAT school last month.

“It’s something that’s been needed for a while,” Police Chief Jackie Davis said. “We’ve had barricaded individuals and hostage situations. We have been able to use the state police for those, but having our ownofficers would be better. No single particular incident made us decide it was needed, but as the city continues to grow, we are concerned in that area.”

Sgt. Brent Lucas is training officer and public information officer. He said talks have been under way about the team for almost half a year, and the City Council received some preliminary budget estimates in July. He said the team could be ready by the end of 2009, but thedate isn’t firm.

Davis said the August shootout in Jacksonville, which lasted nearly five hours, leaving one officer wounded and the gunman dead, came after Cabot’s decision to get a SWAT team, but it has inspired them to continue pushing the project forward.

“It certainly brought it closer to home,” Davis said. “Those kinds of crimes can happen in any jurisdiction at any time.”

Davis said he doesn’t want to attach a timeline to the program because he doesn’t want to push his officers into something they aren’t ready for. He wants to give them time with their training so they can become a safe, tight team. At the same time, Davis said, if an incident arises before the team is official, they could swing into action.

“We’ve sent some initial members to school and have some additionalmembers coming on board at the first of the year,” Davis said. “Once more are on board, they can start training as a team together.”

Davis said he will be moving forward with the project, even if he doesn’t get the funding he expects from the Cabot City Council. SWAT teams are used for situations involving hostages or mass shooters or raids for drug busts or barricaded/dangerous individuals. Cabot’s police force has already dealt with situations where a SWAT team would be ideal, and regular patrol officers often have to do raids themselves. Davis said having officers withthe proper training and equipment will make things safer for everyone.

“City Council hasn’t totally approved it yet,” Davis said. “They have it in their hands but haven’t given it final approval. We’re going to continue on whether we get that money or not. We’ll just have to find different ways to do it. I cannot anticipate that anything will happen to keep at least some funding from coming through. They’ve been very supportive of it, and they understand the need for it.”

SWAT equipment is expensive - heavy-duty bullet-proof vests, rifles, helmets, riot shields, battering rams, etc. Davis said they’ve had some of the weaponry they’ll need to outfit the team for years. They’ll be putting that equipment to better use and purchasing new weaponry and tactical equipment. They have already made some purchases for the team out of this year’s operating budget, Davis said. They will also be able to get grants from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Still, Davis recently added $20,000 for bullet-proof vests and guns to his budget request to the city. Davis didn’t have the total figures in front of him, but the original estimate he submitted to the Council in July was $30,000.

Davis said the department is up to full staff, but it will be another budgeting challenge to cover officers’ shifts while they undergo training. He didn’t want to estimate how many officers will eventually receive SWAT training but said there ideally will be at least one or two per shift.

Lucas said the department has been talking a lot with SWAT teams in Little Rock, North Little Rock and Sherwood as they develop their plans.

“We’ve just gotten to a certain size in the city where it’s come to a point, hopefully we’ll never need it, but we’d rather be prepared in case,” Lucas said.

The team will probably include a sniper. The recruiting that has gone on so far has all been within the department, Lucas said. Davis said some of the equipment could also end up being used by normal patrol officers.

- awidner@ arkansasonline.com

Three Rivers, Pages 103, 111 on 11/23/2008