Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Officers Prepare For SWAT Training SERGEANT SAYS PURPOSE OF EXERCISE IS TO ‘ELIMINATE THE THREAT’
FARMINGTON — The Washington County Sheriff ’s Office used a vacant house in Farmington on Thursday as a training exercise for four officers who will attend the FBI SWAT School in Fort Smith later this fall.
Sgt. Arlo Guthary said the exercise in Farmington was used to prepare officers when entering a building with an active shooter situation or hostage crisis. The house, located at the corner of Main Street and Angus Lane, will be torn down soon to make way for a new Casey’s General Store.
The officers were learning to swiftly and safely enter an environment with an active shooter.
The purpose is to “eliminate the threat,” Guthary said.”The primary responsibility is to stop the killing and to stop the person from killing. Whatever it takes.”
The five- day Special Weapons and Tactics training is located at Fort Chaffee. Guthary said the sheriff ’s office sends four deputies to the training each year. When these officers return, the sheriff ’s department will have 11 deputies trained to respond to active shooter emergencies.
“They will bring it back and use it on the street,” Guthary said.
The sheriff’s office is in the process of placing active shooter training in high gear.
“Because all the active shooter situations are so frequent, we want to be prepared if it happens here,” Guthary said. “We will do the same techniques in a school or office building.”
The officers who attend the FBI SWAT training do so with the intent of coming back and teaching the others.
Guthary said the sheriff ’s goal is to have all officers trained to deal with an active shooter emergency.
The FBI has conducted an annual SWAT school for more than 10 years, according to Kim Brunell, supervisory special agent in Little Rock.
“It’s a good way to meet one another, train together and develop camaraderie,” Brunell said. The school includes weapons and tactics training and classroom instruction.