More than 100 law enforcement officers representing agencies from around South Carolina converged on Fort Jackson last week for an annual weapons and tactics summit, hosted by the Richland County Sheriff's Department.
Now in its third year, the S.C. SWAT Summit is a joint training effort that gathers tactical response teams to share, practice and hone their techniques.
"We're providing training to these teams," said Mike Kelly, SWAT team leader for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in South Carolina. "But, at the same time, we're also creating relationships between these teams, so if we ever have an incident where we're working together, it won't be the first time."
Fort Jackson provided the facilities used for the four-day event and has been a "great partner," he said.
"Guys are staying here in the barracks, they're eating their meals in the DFAC here," Kelly said. "We're using their ranges, we're using their MOUT site and some of the other buildings (that were being used.)"
The week involved firearms training, practice clearing structures of opponents and hostages, conflict resolution and vehicle training.
"When we put them together, there's a community and a brotherhood," Kelly said. "Everyone's doing the same job and we have a certain understanding of each other."
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