Since 2001, the Fullerton Police Department has been a member of a multi-city regional SWAT team known as North County SWAT (NCS). NCS is a specialized team that responds to incidents deemed to be high-risk and which pose a serious threat to the communities of Fullerton, Brea, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia, and the campus of Cal State Fullerton. NCS is comprised of approximately 80 total team members that include Command Staff, Tactical Officers, Negotiators, Tactical Dispatchers, Tactical Medics, and support personnel. NCS devotes a large amount of time to training, which is vital to the success of the team when it is called into action.

Activation for NCS can be requested by any of the participating agencies if certain considerations can be met. Examples of types of incidents are: Barricaded suspects who refuse to surrender, Incidents where hostages are taken, Suicidal threats, Arrests of dangerous persons, High-risk Search/Arrest warrants, Riots or hostile crowds, or other potentially volatile situations where their assistance is deemed necessary.

In order to accomplish the often complicated task of resolving volatile incidents, the SWAT Team utilizes specialized equipment to ensure the safety of the community and members of the team. One such piece of equipment is the Lenco Bearcat, an armored personnel carrier, capable of providing ballistic protection to operators, and civilians when used as a rescue or evacuation vehicle. This tool allows officers to approach threats in a much safer manner, allowing them to do the important task of providing for the public’s safety.

The SWAT Team is an integral part of the Department’s commitment to ensuring that our schools remain safe. Members of the SWAT Team provide training and assessments of local school sites and work closely with School Resource Officers and School Administrators to ensure that schools are prepared to deal with any incidents that might occur on campus.

Because of the high level of training each SWAT member receives, they are often called upon to assist with training throughout the department. This includes first responder training for patrol officers, response to active shooters on school campuses, and a variety of tactical and arrest/control techniques.