Our friends at Lynnwood Today reported that Lynnwood and Edmonds are two of six cities forming a new North Sound SWAT team.
Officer staffing in Lynnwood has declined during the past several months due to budget cuts, so police officials are teaming up with more cities to help compensate for the lower service levels, Lynnwood Today said. Right now the city teams up with the Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace police departments as part of the South Snohomish County SWAT Team.
“In view of current staffing levels this three-city team is no longer sufficient,” police officials wrote in a memo to the City Council. “In an effort to continue the provision of efficient and effective SWAT services we opened discussions with Bothell, Lake Forest Park and Monroe in developing a new North Sound Metro Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.”
The agreement, which has been approved by the respective police chiefs and city attorneys, takes effect Jan. 1, 2012.
SWAT officers are specially trained and equipped to handle criminal activity of a high-risk nature, such as standoffs. It’s hoped the inclusion of Bothell, Lake Forest Park and Monroe will help them better respond to such situations despite the lower officer staffing levels.
