The Bee gets first-hand S.W.A.T. team experience
Erie County celebrates National Sheriff's Week
by JILL SCHMELZER Ken-Ton Editor
F ive members of the Bee Group Newspapers staff attended a media day event sponsored by the Erie County Sheriff's Department on Sept. 20 in collaboration with National Sheriff's Week.

Keaton DePriest, left, Jill Schmelzer, Jessica Finch, Terri Medina and Elizabeth Taufa, all Bee Group Newspapers employees, participated in the Erie County Sheriff's Media Day held Sept. 20. Photos by Amy Krakowiak

Not one of us knew what to expect as we drove to the training grounds on Genesee Street in Alden. What would we do? What would we learn? Would we want to change career paths?

I think it is safe to say that we left with a sense of excitement and newfound awareness of the services the Special Weapons And Tactics team provides to the citizens in Erie County.

The force, made up of 14 specially trained officers, attend schools and practice scenarios daily to prepare for unexpected emergencies, such as bomb threats, terrorist attacks and hostage situations. They also assist police agencies with arrest warrants, drug raids and search and rescue missions.

East Aurora Editor Terri Medina learns about the mechanics of a rifle. Sheriff Tim Howard explained the different features of the high-powered gun.

We arrived at 11250 Genesee St. at about 9:45 a.m. Within 15 minutes, we were learning about the different types of high-tech equipment the S.W.A.T. team is trained to use, including sniper rifles, less-than-lethal weapons, gas masks and bullet-proof vests.

"From the moment we arrived at the training facility, I was in 'go' mode," said Terri Medina, East Aurora editor. "I was anxious to learn everything there was about the covert, often dangerous life of the Erie County S.W.A.T. team."

After the brief lesson, Elizabeth Taufa, Jessica Finch, Keaton De- Priest, Medina, and myself took a ride in the S.W.A.T. team vehicle, which is used to shield the officers from incoming bullets and safely transport them to and from operations. The Hummer comes equipped with portholes for the deputies to shoot out of if a suspect open fires on the vehicle.

Sgt. Greg Savage, who educated us about the equipment and S.W.A.T. team tasks, drove us from the Kwanza Hut to the edge of the driveway, demonstrating how the vehicle can turn its width in a full circle at an unknown speed.

Ken-Ton editor Jill Schmelzer gets attacked by Rikor the narcotics dog during a demonstration.

Next, Deputy Bill Cranstan, senior firearms inspector, led his team through a hostage situation, as members of the media watched from a catwalk above. He busted through the doorway using a ram and then threw a device called a flash bang, which is used to distract the suspects. Within seconds, the team shot down the targets, which were hung on the wall, and secured the area.

Det. Steve Meerboth said when the team enters a situation using a flash bang device, they are trained to stay just 18 inches off the wall at all times because once they enter the center of the room they are in what's known as "the dead zone."

"It's where all of the firing is going on," he said. "If a couch is in the way, we go over it. If a refrigerator is in the way, we knock it down if we can."

Next, Deputy Terry Geunot and his partner Rikor, a 7-year-old German Shepherd, took center stage. Rikor is trained to sniff out narcotics, including cocaine, heroine, marijuana and ecstasy. He is also used for crowd control.

Geunot asked for a volunteer, so I bravely raised my hand. I slipped my left arm into a protective sleeve, took a defensive stance and was told to growl at Rikor. The dog then leapt into the air and latched on, pulling me towards his partner. Thankfully, Geunot gave the command for the dog to let go and stay. As the deputy searched me for drugs, Rikor barked as if he was another authority figure screaming at me to keep my hands where he could see them and listen to exactly what his partner had to say. I did just that.

DePriest, the Cheektowaga Editor, also participated in the demonstration, and we both agreed that we would never want to be on the receiving end of Rikor's teeth again, especially without the protective sleeve.

The next event had Medina living her dream of wanting to become a sniper. Deputy Shaun Hediger and Savage guided us through a shooting exercise.

"From an early age, I wanted to be a sniper," Medina said. "I'm not quite sure what the attraction was to the profession, but I was very intrigued by the thought of making a career out of shooting people from a distance, harsh as that may seem."

When she was 19, she applied to join the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, but at the last minute decided not to join the service.

"While that dream was never realized, I chose the pen over the high-powered rifle, I was extremely excited for the opportunity this past week to partake in the Erie County Sheriff's Media Day," said Medina, who earned the nickname "Rambo" by some of the deputies in attendance.

She received her alias after dressing in a 30-pound flak jacket, which was lined with high-tech bullet proofing, water filtration and communications systems.

"I strapped on a helmet and an M4 rifle and assumed the position," Medina said. "Now I'm no gun nut, but the opportunity to fire such an awesome weapon was too enticing for me to pass up."

After the shooting exercise, Deputy Tony Clabeaux, bomb squad commander, explained what his team, made up of three specialists, would do if a threat is made.

"I discovered a new appreciation for the severity of each and every call," said Finch, Amherst Associate editor. "Unfortunately, the number of bomb threats, shooting deaths and distress calls have increased, but that doesn't make each one less intense."

With the recent upgrades, the Erie County Sheriff's bomb squad is one of the best equipped in the state, Clabeaux said. They are constantly training in new techniques to prepare for changes in technology.

Finch volunteered to detonate a bomb, hidden in a suitcase about 200 yards from where the group was standing.

"I put on heavy gloves that extended to my elbows and held the device in my hand," she said. "Even though I knew I wasn't in danger, I was still shaking - I stared at the device, no more than three inches in length and an inch-wide and listened to the deputy as he instructed me how to set off the spark."

She then released the latch, and the charge ran down the wire and exploded the suitcase into many little pieces.

"One second I was standing there waiting to hear the deputy say 'three' and then the suitcase was gone," Finch said. "The ground disheveled, and I was standing there looking at what the flip of a switch can do."

As we waited for Capt. Kevin Caffery, special services aviation, to return in the Sheriff's Department helicopter (he had been called away shortly after he arrived) we attempted to find Hediger who was hiding somewhere in plain sight. When he emerged from a bush he was dressed in a "ghillie" suit, which allows him to blend in with his surroundings.

He explained that each move he makes is meticulously planned when disguised out in the woods, because the wrong one could mean his life.

He then demonstrated his sniper abilities, shooting the target three times in the small one-inch circle, which would be where a suspect's head is located.

Then, Caffery came back with the helicopter, and we took turns riding with him.

DePriest and Finch went last.

"I did not know what to expect," DePriest, the Cheektowaga editor, said. "However, what was unexpected was being able to fly the helicopter. Although it was only for a few seconds, and Capt. Caffery really had the controls, I was able to steer the hovering vehicle."

From flying a helicopter to firing semi-automatic weapons and defusing bombs, The Bee got a new perspective on just how dangerous the jobs are of the officers.

"As an Erie County resident, I'm glad to know that highly-trained people, like those in the Sheriff's Department, are available close to home should something go wrong," Taufa said, Amherst reporter.

We would like to thank Sheriff Tim Howard and the rest of the participating officers for allowing us to be a part of National Sheriff's Week.