Greene County unveils new SWAT team
Photo courtesy of Will DeForte
Greene County District Attorney David Russo speaks with Zack Sams, who is a county detective and team leader of Greene County’s new SWAT unit, during a demonstration in early October at the firing range near Garards Fort.
Photo courtesy of Will DeForte
Members of the Greene County SWAT team are sworn-in by District Judge David Balint while county District Attorney David Russo looks on.
Law enforcement officials in Greene County unveiled their new SWAT team designed specifically to respond to school shootings while also preparing for expanded duties in the future.
The seven members of the newly formed team from multiple police departments in the county held a demonstration Monday afternoon at the firing range near Garards Fort to illustrate the importance of the specialized squad.
The concept for the SWAT team was borne from the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, and the police response that has been widely criticized for not moving quicker to stop the shooter. Greene County District Attorney David Russo, who will serve as command leader of the team, announced its formation in June.
“This was a collective effort by me and my county detectives to come up with a proactive plan in place in the event of a school shooting,” Russo said. “Mass shootings are becoming more prevalent; school shootings are becoming more prevalent, and our lack of having a SWAT team … has been highly recognized by law enforcement.”
Officials said they’re hoping the team’s formation will help to coordinate a response to stop a gunman as quickly as possible. The “active shooter response” unit went into effect Monday, and the team will continue to train over the next year to expand its capabilities in more wide-ranging situations, such as hostage situations.
The biggest issue facing Greene County is that the nearest specialized police response team is the state police’s unit in Washington. The longer amount of time to mobilize compared to a local team could be costly when minutes are crucial during an active shooter situation.
“The need for this arises from loss of life and time,” Russo said. “That’s one of the major focuses we had in developing this.”
In addition, an organized response is crucial to saving lives, as was punctuated during the Uvalde shooting, where there was confusion over who was in charge of the scene. County Detective Zack Sams will serve as the team leader of the Greene County unit.
“Based on the safety of the community, the children and teaching staff, we thought it was needed from a response team in case there was an incident,” Russo said.
The cost for the new team have been minimal so far, Russo said, because its seven members are volunteering their time. Russo plans to seek grants and other funds to ensure the team is able to continue operating in the future.
Officers from Cumberland Township, Greene Regional, Greene County Sheriff’s Department and the district attorney’s office are members of the team. State police assisted with equipment and technical support, Russo said.
“They’re active and ready to go,” Russo said. “We’ve accomplished that goal.”