Blue Springs STAT team responds to danger

The Blue Springs Police Department Special Tactical Assistance Team was formed in the late 1970s. STAT is the Blue Springs Police Department’s version of what is commonly referred to as a SWAT team. STAT was originally formed to respond to situations involving armed and barricaded individuals, but its role has expanded to include service of high-risk arrest warrants or other dangerous situations.

During the early 1980s, the U.S. government increased its interest in drug prevention by establishing a commission to oversee the fight against drugs. Each participating agency formed a team of officers to carry out search warrants obtained by the Task Force. The STAT Team, while continuing to train for armed barricade situations, began specialized training in high-risk search warrants. Modern tactical teams now train for a large variety of events that are determined to be high risk situations for the public and for the officers.

In 2007 the Blue Springs Police Department STAT Team responded to 17 high-risk search warrants, one barricaded subject in a chemically filled multi-family structure, and one apprehension of a murder for hire suspect.

A tactical team’s primary purpose is responding to incidents best handled by an organized team of officers. Just as a sports team has a playbook with certain plays, STAT team members must develop and perform specific procedures and tactics that are suited to the specific mission or environment. STAT members annually attend a variety of training courses specializing in high risk warrant service, hostage rescue, armed barricade, and dignitary protection. In order to accomplish those tasks, monthly training is conducted in the disciplines of firearms, less lethal devices, distraction devices, chemical munitions, and physical conflict resolution.

Blue Springs STAT meets nationally recommended standards for training with a minimum of 16 hours per month. The team is an active member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Tactical Officer’s Association, which is an organization that provides instructors from participating agencies at minimal cost to improve training in a cost-effective way. Blue Springs Police Department STAT officers not only receive ongoing training through this process, but the department also provides instructors to teach others as well.

Blue Springs Officers chosen for STAT may come from any position in the department, and are called out when needed. Newly appointed officers attend a Basic SWAT course conducted locally by the KCMTOA, learning the disciplines and basic building clearing techniques. Team members attend an annual Advanced Operators Course conducted by the association. Individual team members may attend specialty courses such as ballistic shield deployment, low-light engagement, vehicle engagement, active shooter response, clandestine lab identification, specialty munitions, various instructor courses and critical incident management courses. The department is a member of the National Tactical Officer’s Association and the American Sniper Association.

The Blue Springs STAT Team works closely with our own Hostage Crisis Negotiation Team. HCNT officers are specially trained in negotiation skills. The Blue Springs Police Department meets and exceeds the CALEA standard of conducting an annual Joint Operations Drill with all aspects of our department personnel. Care in notifying residents when training in public is taken by posting “Police Training Exercise” signs and notifying neighbors in advance of our presence to prevent startling our residents. STAT also participates in joint operation drills with neighboring agencies as well as an annual drill at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant.

The Blue Springs Police Department and the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District have developed an agreement to provide two paramedics to the STAT Team. The Tactical-Medic program was implemented to bring the medical assistance into the tactical arena.

Medics are equally trained in weapons and tactics and are trained to respond to the wounded, instead of police officers having to bring the wounded to the medics, saving time and lives.

The Blue Springs Police Department STAT team works closely with neighboring Police Departments. Agencies often call upon each other for assistance with training logistics, manpower needs and equipment, helping the entire area to be safer. The team is also assisted through the COMBAT anti-drug tax that is collected in Jackson County through the purchase of tactical vests for the officers.

Blue Springs Police STAT strives to provide competent and reliable service to our citizens by planning, preparation, training and teamwork.

Our goal is to complete each situation with a successful and safe outcome for the citizens and officers alike.

You can see a demonstration of our STAT team and meet some of the team members at National Night Out in downtown Blue Springs during the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 5.