Team is used to resolve situations that require tactics and weaponry not normally available to uniform patrol officers. Some of the situations encountered by the SWAT Team are barricaded gunmen, hostage scenarios, arrests of dangerous individuals, events involving large numbers of people, and threats to the security of dignitaries. The team also helps execute search warrants where extra security precautions are necessary to insure the safety of officers and suspects alike.
Monthly training is conducted in various parts of the county.
This allows team members to familiarize themselves with terrain that varies from the open fields and meadows of eastern Boulder County to the rugged, snowcapped peaks at the Continental Divide of the Rocky Mountains. Densely populated urban areas, surrounded by ranches and estates of less populated rural communities, provide the team with a challenge to be ready to handle emergencies in almost any venue. The twenty-one officers, four paramedics, and three volunteers who staff the SWAT team are themselves a select group. Available positions are filled by candidates who participate in a competitive selection process with assignments based on the applicant's area of interest. Possible assignments include the tactical team, the hostage negotiations team, the paramedic team, and the video team.