REEDSPORT, Ore. (KMTR) -- The Oregon State Police SWAT team was called out to a Reedsport motel Wednesday afternoon because a suspect wouldn't come out.
KMTR’s phones were flooded with calls about where they were going and why more SWAT team members aren't stationed in rural areas.
In Roseburg, Oregon State Police (OSP) assured us they are prepared to respond to all areas of the state.
The OSP SWAT team is actually comprised of officers stationed all over Oregon. It appeared many of them came from Salem Wednesday because some of the team’s officers were in the valley undergoing training.
Which is no surprise, as the team spends a lot of time training; they train for about one week each month.
“The Oregon State Police SWAT team, or any SWAT team, generally they're the best of the best,” says Lieutenant Doug Ladd of the OSP. “They're excellent with firearms. The training regimen they go through is extensive. The qualification process to make the team is extensive. They're scattered all over the place for a very specific reason: we can get somebody on scene very quickly.”
Because it may take a while for the entire team to arrive, Lieutenant Ladd says each officer is trained and prepared to be the first SWAT team member on the scene.
Though the officers are stationed all over the state, a lot of the SWAT team's equipment is located at the OSP headquarters in Salem. Ladd says this is because there is a lot of equipment and Salem is the most central location for the majority of calls that come in for the SWAT team.
