In response to Mikaela Slaney’s article involving the SWAT drill that took place at a Pembroke school, the parents responding to the manner in which the officers acted need to seriously get in touch with reality.

SWAT is an acronym for Special Weapons And Tactics and such a unit is used to respond to situations where normal tactics may not be adequate.  As such, when conducting a realistic drill the officers involved need to handle the situation as they would a REAL one.  Not factually knowing whether any expletives were used or not, one method used to handle these types of situations is language that commands an immediate response from a subject, and when referring to “subject” this is not “good guys” or “bad guys”, it’s anyone.  In such a high tension situation any civilians involved need to take a backseat as they may also be greeted with conversation that lacks the normal pleasantries as priority for the responding team becomes saving lives, not making sure that you had a nice day talking to the SWAT officer performing a tactical insertion to a school. 

Parents have become a little too sensitive with their children living in their world padded in nerf products soaked in hand sanitizer, I’m sure the tone would be different if a life was lost because a member of the SWAT team stopped when encountering a subject in the school and said, “Excuse me, would you be so kind as to lay down on the ground?  You would really be doing me a big favor, thanks.”  I’m glad our officers are taking these drills in a serious manor as it shows the professionalism of our police force and that they are capable of handling these situations should they ever become a reality.  Parents and students, keep that in mind when SWAT shows up unannounced for their next “drill”.

Karl Gumpright 

Pembroke