Madison Twp. officer to work with SWAT team

The Madison Township trustees at their last regular meeting approved a resolution to attach a township police officer to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team.

The officer, who has been training with the Lake County special weapons and tactics team for several weeks already, will continue his regular duties with the township police while remaining on call 24/7 with the SWAT team, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Carl Dondorfer.

Dondorfer is commander of the regional SWAT team, which includes members from the Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake county sheriffs’ departments, along with officers from the Painesville Police Department and, now, the Madison Township Police Department. He said adding another agent from an eastern Lake County department is a benefit for everyone involved.

“It’s a benefit for us because it helps to share the resources needed to run a SWAT team,” Dondorfer said in a June 20 phone interview. “It also helps us build relationships with other police departments and not just sheriffs’ offices.”

Township Police Chief Matthew Byers said his department has been working with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team for decades. So, he said, it just makes sense for his department to join in.

“Certainly it’s not too frequently. But, on occasion, when we have situation needing that kind of specialized equipment and specialized training, the only option we have is the Lake County Sheriff’s Office team. We’ve been using it for decades. So, it just seems like natural progression for us to be a part of it.”

Both Byers and Dondorfer confirmed adding a Madison Township officer to the SWAT team has been in the works for some time now and isn’t a result of the SWAT-involved shooting of a suicidal man that took place there in April.

“This is something that’s been in the process for at least six months,” Byers said.

Dondorfer said there are 30 members in the SWAT Team, including operators, snipers, negotiators and SWAT-trained tactical medics. He said that, along with the new Madison Township officer, four Painesville police officers are part of it.

He said each went through a thorough vetting process before being ranked for selection. Each has already undergone a 24-hour rifle training course and will participate in a weeklong Ohio Tactical Officers Association program in Cleveland in the fall.