Desert Regional S.W.A.T. brings departments together, works specialized cases
Kendall Flynn
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Desert Regional SWAT, also known as the Special Weapons and Tactics Team, is a group comprised of SWAT officers from the Indio, Palm Springs and Cathedral City Police Departments.
“You never know what happens,” Sergeant Jason Lamb with PSPD said. “It’s good to have a team on standby that can respond to a, quickly escalating threat.”
Lamb is on the Desert Regional S.W.A.T. team in addition to his usual patrol duties and said he’s enjoyed the camaraderie of the collaborative group. He said they have a joint mission to de-escalate situations and save lives no matter who is involved.
“Our end game is to preserve life,” Lamb said. “So having a S.W.A.T. team where you have the equipment and the people available to take more times in a call, preserve life.”
The team’s focus is to respond and resolve various highly volatile incidents such as hostage situations, active shooter situations, dignitary/site protection and for de-escalating situation. The three departments said working with each other is essential to completing these missions effectively.
S.W.A.T. Commander Erik Longoria, also a lieutenant with the Indio Police Department, said the three stations training together twice a month with nearly 35 personnel involved.
Desert Regional S.W.A.T. was on scene in Indio on Monday for a standoff after a vandalism situation. Palm Springs Police Department said Monday’s situation was a example of the S.W.A.T. team working to de-escalate a situation.
Longoria said the suspect assaulted a detective before the tactical team arrived, making their response time necessary to prevent further assaults. The collaborative team allows departments to use each others resources, including armored cars and protective equipment, which was essential in a case like Monday.
While officers are prepared for any crime, they also ensure they are at large events. Officers said the current political climate also impacts their presence for rallies and parades, as they need to train for specific situations.
“In the event somebody tries to, with everything going on across the nation, tries to attack one of these events, we have specially trained personnel to intervene between, and keep the community safe,” Longoria said.
Stay with News Channel 3 to hear the work Desert Regional SWAT does and why it’s necessary for the three departments to come together.