Richmond adds SWAT officers to weekend patrols

A red light flashed on a computer screen inside the squad car, signaling a priority call:

Robbery outside the Econo Lodge on Midlothian Turnpike. No gun displayed. Suspect in a black puffy jacket. Last seen fleeing toward Carnation Street.

It wasn't necessarily an unusual robbery call, but on Saturday night, a pair of officers from Richmond's SWAT team hurried toward the scene.

Sgt. Mike Bohannon squeezed the cruiser through a closed security gate at a nearby apartment complex, and then he and officer Brian Robinson got out and followed other officers led by a police dog. The dog lost the track, and the two officers returned to their squad car and their roving patrol duty.

The city's Special Weapons and Tactics team used to only get called out for special missions such as hostage rescues or drug raids. But Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood has added SWAT team members to the patrol mix on weekend nights.

They provide tactical expertise on high-risk calls, as well as on-scene training for regular patrol officers.

The deployment is called Support through Rapid Tactical response, or SRT. It took effect in mid-November, shortly after Norwood's first day as chief on Nov. 3.

On Friday nights, four SWAT officers are on patrol from about 8 p.m. until 3 a.m., with one two-man team focused primarily on the north side of the James River, and the other team on the south side.

On Saturday nights, a third two-man team is added to float throughout the city.

Their marked squad cars are loaded with equipment such as rifles, helmets, shields, body armor, breaching rams and Tasers, so they can get to them quickly. But city residents shouldn't expect to see officers patrolling in full tactical gear.

"The concept isn't that they wear this stuff and they walk out of the car looking like RoboCop," Assistant Chief David M. McCoy said.

The tactical patrol teams generally respond to major calls such as shootings, robberies, home invasions and anything that seems like it could pose a safety threat. They provide backup and perform duties such as helping to set up a perimeter during sticky situations.

"They are not out there to handle normal calls for service," McCoy said.

They also act as advisers to regular patrol officers, helping them brush up on their tactical skills. Unlike regular officers, Richmond's SWAT team members each get more than 200 hours of advanced tactical training per year.

"If you're not consistently training on tactical responses -- although you might be good at it -- you lose an edge," McCoy said.

Neither Chesterfield County nor Henrico County, the Richmond area's two most populous localities, assigns SWAT team officers to patrol duties. Members of Richmond's SWAT team, of course, are still on call for various missions, including situations in which an armed person is holed up and refuses to surrender, and they assist in serving high-risk search warrants and arrest warrants. They also protect dignitaries when requested.

The team was called out for 17 missions in 2008.

The SWAT team consists of 19 officers, including the team's commander, Lt. Brian Corrigan.

Corrigan said the deployment has been well received by other officers out in the field.

"You've got the immediate response right there," he said.
Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or .