Members of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team recently returned from the US National SWAT Championships held in Tulsa, Oklahoma from October 16-23. Members from PCSO SWAT competed against teams from law enforcement agencies from all over the world.

This was the first time in the event’s history that a team from Arizona was invited to participate. The PCSO team consisted of 8 members who competed in various challenges testing their skills in hostage negotiations, building entry and searches, explosives, patrol tactics, less lethal systems, chemical agents, physical security, officer survival skills, K-9 Strategies, precision driving and sniper targeting.

The PCSO SWAT Sniper Team placed 14th out of 31 teams in the sniper competition. Overall, PCSO SWAT placed 19th out of 24 teams.

Funding for the trip was paid for by donations from the Justice Foundation. Those who contributed include Avon Protection, Paul Stojanovich Jr., SWAT Magazine TV, GMS Tactical, Surefire, and the Pinal County Posse.

PCSO SWAT Commander and Lieutenant Matthew Thomas stated, “We were honored to be invited to this year’s US National SWAT Championships which bring together the best SWAT teams in America. Historically, first year participants finish last. I’m proud of our efforts and know we’ll do even better next year; a heart-filled thank you to everyone who chipped in and supported our PCSO SWAT.”