The Mentor Special Weapons and Tactics, or S.W.A.T., under the command of Captain Jeffrey Reese, is comprised of a team of Mentor Police Officers who are specially trained to respond to high-risk situations. The Mentor S.W.A.T. Team originated in 1981 and continues to operate today with seventeen officers assigned to the unit. The team has expanded to include an inter-jurisdictional agreement with Kirtland Hills and Mentor-on-the-Lake Police Departments. This agreement allows a select number of officers from each department to join the Mentor S.W.A.T. Team.

Purpose

The purpose of the Mentor S.W.A.T. Team is to respond to certain high-risk situations that may require the use of special weapons and tactics. These situations include, but are NOT limited to, barricaded persons, hostage negotiations, terrorist incidents, and serving high-risk warrants.

Mission

The mission of the Mentor S.W.A.T. Team is to bring the incident to a safe, swift and reasonable conclusion through negotiations or tactical means.

Criteria

In general, Mentor S.W.A.T. officers must have the ability to follow orders under all types of conditions, combined with the flexibility to improvise under extreme stress. They must also be able to function in a team environment, maintain a high degree of physical fitness and firearms proficiency, have an above average evaluation, and a good disciplinary record.

Selection Process

Team members are chosen from interested Mentor, Kirtland Hills, and Mentor-on-the-Lake Police Officers who pass a clearly defined selection process. This process includes: review of a submitted application, pass a physical fitness test, supervisory recommendation, review board, and team vote of review board recommended applicants. The physical fitness test consists of a 3/4 mile obstacle course which includes push ups, a wall climb, pull ups, sit ups, low crawl, body drag, dips, and a run with a ram.

Equipment

The equipment that a Mentor S.W.A.T. officer wears weighs 60 lbs. The Entry Vest alone weighs 25 lbs. The Mentor S.W.A.T. Team has a variety of tactical equipment and firearms. These include the MP-5 submachine gun, AR-15, .308 sniper rifle, 12 gauge Shotguns, distraction devices, door rams, ropes, helmets, goggles, knee and elbow pads, knives, and mirrors, just to name a few.

Training

All Mentor S.W.A.T. officers are required to attend a very rigorous two-week basic S.W.A.T school. The Mentor Team trains once a month and each fall it conducts a three-day session at Camp Perry. This training includes: physical fitness, shooting techniques, dynamic and deliberate entry, firearms qualification on multiple weapons, night movement, use of chemical agents, vehicle assaults, etc. In addition, officers attend various tactical training programs throughout the year. The S.W.A.T. team snipers train on a monthly basis, apart from the regular S.W.A.T. team sessions. Team members also complete an annual physical fitness test to insure proper conditioning.

In addition, Mentor SWAT participates in periodic joint training exercises with the West End SWAT Team and Lake County Sheriff Office team, as well as with Lake County EOD. The sniper team continues to combine their training with the West End Sniper Team. The training between the two teams results in the sharing of ideas, experiences and issues, and develops a more cohesive group that can share responsibilities if team relief or assistance is needed.