MERIDIAN, Idaho — Police officers in Idaho never know what their next call will bring, but they have to stay ready for any situation. The Idaho State Police invited Idaho News 6 out to the Meridian Public Safety Training Center to see first-hand how their SWAT team prepares to respond to threats across the state.
"These guys are highly trained, highly skilled, and they are being involved in missions that are extremely dangerous," said Sgt. Scott Dye, Assistant Commander of the Idaho State Police SWAT team.
The ISP SWAT team is made up of 16 officers from around the state, ranging from detectives to patrol officers. During our visit, they practiced clearing rooms in a building to prepare for some of law enforcement’s most dangerous challenges.
"Making entry into these buildings, looking for suspects, a bad guy, or a hostage rescue, which we've had, it doesn't get a lot more dangerous than that for these guys," said Dye.
WATCH: The ISP SWAT team practice breaching and sweeping buildings
The team trains for all sorts of scenarios to keep their skills sharp for real-world situations.
"We have responded to everything from manhunts, where suspects have run off into the woods after shooting at police, to hostage rescues," said Dye.
The officers train monthly in different situations and locations across Idaho.
"If you’ve seen the situation or been faced with it, it's easier to react to it and have a plan going into it," said Lt. Kirk Grothaus, ISP's SWAT team Commander.
Though Idaho does not have a full-time SWAT team, ISP’s team acts as a tactical resource for the entire state, which is especially helpful for small rural communities with limited resources.
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"We are a resource for other agencies — that's the key for ISP — because we are remote, we are scattered throughout the state. We are here for rural small agencies that may not have the resources we have," said Gorthaus.
In an emergency, the team can assemble quickly. Using ISP’s plane, officers can respond to an incident anywhere in Idaho within just a few hours.
"Our goal is to build relationships across the state so that these agencies, whether they're large or small, can call and know that we're going to send 16 people to come help them," added Dye.
The current training session runs until Friday, with night-vision exercises in Caldwell on the schedule next.
