History

The Laurinburg Police Department SWAT Team was formed in 2009 at the request of Police Chief John T. Evans.  Since the start, the team has had and continues to have countless hours of training in various areas of Para Military Enforcement.  The team consists of 8 Sworn Officers from the Laurinburg Police Department that volunteer their time to secure and protect of the Citizens of Laurinburg.  

Our Mission

The mission of the Laurinburg Police Department SWAT Team is to provide a well-disciplined, well-trained, efficient unit, which can be utilized by the Chief of Police in situations where the public and individual officers are in extreme danger and at a distinct disadvantage.

About Us

SWAT, which stands for Special Weapons and Tactics, is made up of Eight dedicated Officers that are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is in addition to their regular duties and assignments. The Team is commanded by Sgt. Terry M. Chavis who was appointed by the Chief of Police and is under the direct supervision of the Laurinburg Police Command Staff.  Each team member must meet strict requirements and goes through a rigorous selection process to be selected. The Team trains on a monthly basis to be prepared to handle a variety of high-risk critical incidents. 

When a situation dictates the need of the specialized equipment and the tactically trained officers that the SWAT Team has, the Team responds and assumes the tactical operations of the incident.

The following are examples of situations that, by their potentially violent and/or specialized nature, indicate the recommendation of SWAT Team mobilization.

• Armed suspect(s) with hostages.
• Rescue of hostages(s), trapped or isolated officers.
• Sniper or suspected sniper.
• Barricaded gunman or suspected barricaded gunman.
• Use of chemical agents.
• Service of search warrants on violent or potentially violent suspect(s).
• Arrest of violent or potentially violent suspect(s).
• Protection of police and firefighter personnel or equipment involved in the suppression of civil disorder.
• Riot or potential riot.
• Civil disorder.
• Any situation that requires or potentially requires the use of the SWAT Teams specialized training, tactics, and equipment.

The SWAT team is equipped with specialized firearms including assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, carbines, riot control agents, stun grenades, and high-powered rifles for snipers. They have specialized equipment including heavy body armor, entry tools, and advanced night vision optics.

TACTICAL MEDIC
The Tactical Medic is trained with the skills to provide medical support to Law Enforcement SWAT Teams. The medics provide general medical support for the team throughout the mission. Environment, as well as any kind of injury or illness, can affect an officer’s effectiveness to complete the mission. The tactical medic is the team’s “medical conscience”. As the violence associated with Drug Activity and crime continue to increase, the ability to have these qualified and highly trained individuals are becoming a national standard among SWAT Teams across the nation.

Team Members

Duties consist of but not limited to:

Sgt. Terry Chavis / Team Commander- Assumes direct control of the team while conducting call outs, plans, coordinates and implements specific tactics.

Richard Tavai / Team Leader- Munitions, Tactical Shotgun, Assists Team Commander during operational assignments.

Asst. Team Leader / Chris Strickland- Assists Team Commander & Team Leader during operational assignments and helps to direct tactical response team.

Tactical Team:

Robert Carlisle- Point Man, Shield Man & Tactical Shotgun- Varies.

Timothy Wilkerson- Shield Man, K-9.

Alonzo Spruill- Rear Guard.

Merica Zabitosiky- Rear Guard & Tactical Medic- Varies.

Vernon Jackson- Sniper / Observer, Rear Guard.

A SWAT (special weapons and tactics) team is an elite tactical unit in American and some international police departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers, including serving high-risk arrest warrants, barricaded suspects, hostage rescue, counter-terrorism, and engaging heavily-armed criminals. A SWAT team is often equipped with specialized firearms including assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, carbines, riot control agents, stun grenades, and high-powered rifles for snipers. They have specialized equipment including heavy body armor, entry tools, armored vehicles, advanced night vision optics, and motion detectors for covertly determining the positions of hostages or hostage takers inside of an enclosed structure.

The first SWAT team was established in the Los Angeles Police Department in 1968. Since then, many American police departments, especially in major cities and at the federal and state-levels of government, have established their own elite units under various names; these units, despite their official name, are referred to collectively as SWAT teams in colloquial usage.

While the public face of SWAT was made known through the LAPD, perhaps because of its proximity to the mass media and the size and professionalism of the Department itself, the first SWAT operations were conducted far north of Los Angeles in the farming community of Delano, California on the border between Kern and Tulare Counties in the great San Joaquin Valley. César Chavez' United Farm Workers were staging numerous protests in Delano, both at cold storage facilities and in front of non-supportive farm workers' homes on the city streets. Delano Police Department answered the issues that arose by forming the first-ever units using special weapons and tactics. Television news stations and print media carried live and delayed reportage of these events across the nation. Personnel from the LAPD, having seen these broadcasts, contacted Delano PD and inquired about the program. One officer then obtained permission to observe Delano Police Department's special weapons and tactics in action, and afterwards took what he'd learned back to Los Angeles where his knowledge was used and expanded on to form their first SWAT unit.

John Nelson was the officer who came up with the idea to form a specially trained and equipped unit in the LAPD, intended to respond to and manage critical situations involving shootings while minimizing police casualties. Inspector Gates approved this idea, and he formed a small select group of volunteer officers. This first SWAT unit initially consisted of fifteen teams of four men each, for a total staff of sixty. These officers were given special status and benefits. They were required to attend special monthly training. This unit also served as a security unit for police facilities during civil unrest. The LAPD SWAT units were organized as "D Platoon" in the Metro division. (Ref: Wikipedia)

The Laurinburg Police Department's SWAT Team continues in the tradition of the original SWAT Teams and is specialized to deal with the needs of our community.