The Connecticut SWAT Challenge has developed a reputation as the premier tactical law enforcement event in the Northeastern United States. In fact, participants come from as far afield in the US as California and internationally from Brazil. Maybe it’s the beautiful scenic setting, but my bets on the fact that they’ve put together one hell of a venue for training, interaction, and competition. Lots of shooting, feats of strength and using good judgement. That’s what it’s all about.

Since 2005, the Connecticut SWAT Challenge has grown from 16 teams to a field of 28 this year, all vying to negotiate three days of competition. In fact, for the participants, this is a top-off event, showcasing the prior year’s worth of training. Lt. Jeremy Clark, West Hartford CT and Director CT SWAT Challenge explained, “NFL Players don’t just show up on a Sunday and play. They don’t just employ one method of training. They watch tape, they lift weights, and they run and run plays. In the same way competition is only one tool for the SWAT Officer.” But he went on to explain that it isn’t a be-all-end-all either but rather, an element of training, “If all that you do is train for contests you are missing tools. If all that you do is bringing in professional trainers you are missing tools. The same can be said for running force on force. You need to work with all of the tools available to react with decisive action in a stressful and chaotic environment. Do you want to realize that you are unskilled in a particular method or piece of equipment in a real life bad situation? The CT SWAT Challenge offers a team the opportunity to discover these deficiencies in a safe environment and work towards correcting those deficiencies.”

Lt. Brad Connor, Warwick, RI SWAT echoed this sentiment stating, “This is an event that we plan for months in advance. The training that we do in preparation for the CT Challenge complements our existing training regimen. Nothing can completely prepare a team for the unexpected events that will occur in an actual call out. In our opinion the dynamic and unpredictable events of the CT SWAT Challenge are the next best thing to real missions and the lessons learned from them.”

The need for events like this is quite evident. With 115 companies participating in the associated vendor show, even they have seen the impact this week has on the readiness of the organizations they support. David Walsh, FNG Velocity Systems and Mayflower Research and Consulting commented to SSD, “We now face a global battlefield. The military and intelligence communities have evolved significantly since the start of the war. Local, state, and federal law enforcement is, and will continue to follow the changing threats. Events like the CT SWAT Challenge offers industry the opportunity to engage SWAT law enforcement officers and incorporate that input into the design and development of products. There is little time between the training evolutions and the feedback. At this time the challenges are fresh and the solutions present themselves more clearly.”

Interestingly, PTLM Mike Long, from Cranston, RI pointed out, that as an observer, he attended the event to learn from both participant and vendor alike, “I came down this week to witness the combination of equipment vendors and actual end users. This is the culmination of years of training in a job where performance goes largely unrewarded. It’s great to see teams recognized for their performance under pressure and on demand.”

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this event and others like it, this video is a good overview.

www.ctswatchallenge.com

Photos courtesy: Velocity Systems, Inc.