California Emergency Dispatcher AssociationProblem solving in the SWAT Realm
By: Noretta Barker
SWAT operations have many facets. SWAT is known for having the “Cream of the crop”… the “Best of the Best” … The “Leaders….. (You get the idea). So why is it SWAT suffers from the same unity issues as other facets of Law Enforcement. Shouldn’t the cream of the crop have personality and team work issues behind them? I am finding that even the best of the best are still people and as such there are still people problems.
As a dispatcher, I spent many hours trying to overcome the sworn vs. non sworn attitudes. Having worked at more than one agency, I can say all agencies have the same problems. I became very active and tried to personally solve the sworn versus non sworn issue, only to realize I could not solve it on my own. Sure, my relationships improved, but there is no easy solution to the us versus them mentality. So in the SWAT realm, how do we overcome the issue?
For many years, there has been an ongoing struggle between the tactical side and the negotiation side. Then we added tactical dispatch. One of the things I have learned in my 29 plus years, (working years), it is much more beneficial to be a part of the team and not just a team member. The difference can be so great it can cause an otherwise seamless event to become one of conflict and controversy. I have also learned you must first remove your ego from any given situation.
This issue has been one that has burdened my SWAT Team for years. I am happy to say my commanders recognize this issue and are working hard to try to diminish the problem. We recently held a training that was explicitly geared towards each part of the team understanding the other part of the team. We worked on communication. I believe that most problems can be solved by simply opening the mind and listening to each other. This is more easily said than done. During our recent training, as the scenario progressed, we did a sort of “red light / green light” where we stopped and froze so that everyone could understand what was happening on the other end. Hostage negotiators were allowed to watch tactical and ask questions. Tactical was allowed to watch negotiators and ask questions. As tactical dispatchers, we fully participated with both tactical and negotiations. At the end of the training, we all went to dinner together. We discussed our successes and areas that need more work. All in all, opening the lines of communication seems to have alleviated some of the barriers. As my friend, SWAT Tactical Officer Glen Anderson commented, “Negotiators are the silk glove over the iron fist (tactical)”
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