The Fairfield Police Department SWAT Team was selected by the California Association of Tactical Officers (CATO) as the 2017 SWAT Team of the Year. CATO is an association of California’s law enforcement tactical teams dedicated to advancing the standards, training, and tactics of this unique and highly specialized aspect of modern policing. This award was presented to the Fairfield SWAT team last week at CATO’s awards banquet hosted in San Diego, CA. The event was attended by some 500 tactical professionals representing teams ranging from Redding to San Diego.
CATO selected the Fairfield Police Department’s SWAT Team out of all California tactical team submissions. The selection criteria is based on demonstrated teamwork, leadership and tactical successes. The Fairfield Police SWAT team earned this award based upon its progressive annual training matrix, community outreach, and two significant tactical critical incidents in 2017. Another standout component is the Team’s tactical emergency medical support (TEMS) which consists of specially trained paramedic/firefighters from the Fairfield Fire Department and a police officer with advanced military medical training who deploy with SWAT. The combination of SWAT and TEMS means the community and officers have access to advance life support in the field during critical incidents.
The concept of special weapons and tactics teams was first conceived and implemented by the Los Angeles Police Department in the mid-1960s. Since that time, law enforcement agencies across the country have realized the need for specially trained and equipped police personnel to resolve an ever-increasing number of dangerous situations. These teams of highly trained professionals are tasked with resolving some of the most dangerous situations of all law enforcement incidents.
Over the last year the Fairfield Police SWAT team was deeply engaged with the community, attending numerous events and demonstrations. This allowed the SWAT team to build partnerships with its stakeholders within the City of Fairfield. During these events, members of the Fairfield SWAT team interacted with the community by answering questions, as well as showing them the tools and equipment used by the team.
