Crowley Police brush up on their SWAT training

By Howell Dennis

CITY EDITOR

CROWLEY – Several members of the Crowley Police Department took part in SWAT training Tuesday afternoon in an empty
part of the Crowley Rehab building.

“I can’t say enough about these officers,” said Officer Konrad Kirsch who conducted the training and has been with SWAT for 25 years. “They do this on a volunteer basis, they’re not getting paid extra for this.”

The officers worked on their entries Tuesday afternoon, with each room they entered representing a different scenario which is designed by the two team leaders. After each entry, Kirsch would assemble his team and meticulously point out any mistakes that were made as well as giving praise when the team made a good entry.

“Crowley is no different than any other town when it comes to potentially dangerous situations,” said Kirsch. “Even in small towns like Pearl, Miss. (the scene of a tragic school shooting) a situation can occur unexpectedly and it’s important that we be ready.”

All those trying out for SWAT are put through physical training that requires officers to run a 1/2 mile in under 5 minutes, as well as doing push ups, sit-ups, pull ups in an allotted amount of time. The first training session focuses on making entries which is followed by a session on shooting rifles and handguns. When observing the physical nature of the drills the officers went through Tuesday, it’s easy to see why the exercise is required.

Officer Kirsch is also very appreciative of the support the program receives from Crowley Chief of Police K.P. Gibson.

“K.P. is very much concerned with having good special response teams in Crowley,” he said. “He absolutely wants the best, most well trained people protecting the citizens of Crowley.”