A tragic ending to a SWAT call in Orlando, when a man in a standoff killed four children,is the reality many SWAT teams face as a possible scenario when they train.
The goal is always to resolve the issue as quickly as possible with as few lives lost as possible, said Martin County Sheriff William Snyder.
Martin County Sheriff's SWAT team members are enhancing their training as standoffs and call-outs are intensifying.
For 6 days straight, SWAT members with the Martin County Sheriff's Office trained around the clock with Navy Seals. The scenarios focused on real-life situations, acts of terrorism and active shooters.
"These Navy Seals and special operators didn't go easy [on them]," said Sheriff Snyder.
Shot at with simunition rounds, SWAT officers were put under pressure in counter-terrorism scenarios and active shooter situations.
"They use simunition rounds which is a round, it looks just like a bullet, but the projectile is actually plastic and paint; when you get tagged with one of those you feel it," said Lieutenant Ruben Romero.
Romero said his team just got back from the training, which showed them how they would react in a real situation. Last year, SWAT officers had to take down a man who had been shooting at buildings and signs in Martin County.
"This training is probably the most realistic training that you can do. It's full immersion training which means almost 24 hours a day," said Lieutenant Romero. "It puts you under high stress, darkness of night, having to use new equipment."
Sheriff William Snyder says no SWAT deployment is ever the same.
"The tragedy in Orlando is just a stark reminder that on any given day we could be called upon to make life or death decisions to go in, to not go in," added the sheriff.
The SWAT team also trained with other departments across the country as well as other military branches like the Marines Corps. The training is not mandatory for local law enforcement, but Sheriff Snyder said it was an investment to assure the SWAT team is highly trained and equipped to respond to any scenario.
