Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Making it through the training and education needed to become a member of law enforcement can be tough enough. But if you want to be a member of the highly selective Wichita Police SWAT team, the application can be downright grueling.

Wednesday, KAKE News was given the rare opportunity to tag along as 13 WPD officers and Sedgwick Co. Sheriff's deputies vie for only a handful of available openings on the SWAT team.

There is one opening available for a WPD officer, and two openings available for members of the sheriff's office.

SWAT commander Lt. Kevin Vaughn said openings are uncommon. An 18 year veteran himself, he said it's not every year there are multiple openings - if any openings at all. The one WPD opening is for a retiring member who help found the area's SWAT team in 1986, Vaughn said.

The 13 applicants at Lake Afton on Wednesday already survived the first round of cuts. Now, they face a series of exhausting mental and physical challenges. They run obstacle courses, are graded on the accuracy of their shooting, and must problem solve crisis scenarios.

After a relentless ten to twelve hours of work, applicants are then given written and oral tests. The process lasts well into the night.

And while accuracy counts, so does team work.

"What we're looking for is somebody that's capable of working under any conditions they may face," said WPD Special Operations captain Max Tenbrook. "Obviously this is a very team structured unit. They have to be able to work with each other and follow directions."

Tenbrook said a decision on who would get the three open spots would likely come in the next few weeks.

For more information on the Wichita Police SWAT, check out the "Related Links" at the bottom of this article.