Please Note:
Quarterly General Meetings are on the Events Calendar. All members are welcome to attend.
Please make note of the change of the next quarterly meeting date.
ATOA Membership Dues due every year on 1 October.
Please submit
to:
Alabama Tactical Officers Association
Attention: Treasurer
1634 A Montgomery Highway #181
Hoover, AL USA 35216-4902
APOSTC and Basic SWAT Training
Q&A Page
The interest of APOSTC into the tactical arena of Alabama brought on many questions and a fair amount of angst. The idea of teams with many years of service suddenly being mandated how to conduct operations was something not palatable by those teams and the agencies they work for. Much of the information that caused the questions and angst was due to rumors that made their way around the state. Rumors mainly concerned themselves with who and what. Who was trying to monopolize on SWAT training in Alabama or what agency was going to be THE only agency to teach SWAT in this state? Another source was a draft of a training program that was making its way around. This draft program was the property of Dave Partner who is a well known tactical trainer in Alabama. Dave had worked tirelessly on this project with no compensation while working as a full time Instructor for a federal installation. Many of us have trained with Dave through programs hosted by the Northeast AL LE Academy (FT McClellan). (To slay a recent rumor, Dave and I are still good friends and talk as our schedules allow.) Once again, accusations and questions flew. I received many of those questions by email and phone. For those that brought their questions to me I appreciate your professionalism and caring about what we do. For those that have accused and/or continue to hear rumors, I urge you to contact me direct. I will do my best to get you the answers that you seek. I have been in the middle of this project from almost the beginning. The Tactical Advisory Committee worked hard on this project to bring it to a point that was functional for all involved. Those meetings were not always pleasant (alpha dogs in the same kennel), but they accomplished a goal. Along the way, I discovered there are some dedicated SWAT Leaders in this state (no surprise) that I can now call on day or night. Not all of the names listed below were on the original Tactical Advisory Committee. The original committee was made up of Officers that were members of teams that conducted Basic SWAT Courses. The Committee came up with a basic "recipe" of course content and hours for each subject matter. The "recipe" taught by (or signed off by) APOSTC certified Tactical Operations Instructors and sponsored by an APOSTC LE Academy is the basic equation for meeting the APOSTC Recommended Standards for Basic SWAT Training.
Respectfully submitted to the Association,
Curt Carpenter
email-cavcurt@aol.com
Currently, Robert Goodner (AL DPS, Retired) is the APOSTC point of contact for this program. I caught up to him and here are the questions and his answers.
1. What exactly is the title of the APOSTC SWAT program and what is its purpose?
The
APOSTC Recommended Standards for Basic SWAT Courses is a set of guidelines that
outline a curriculum for a basic SWAT training course. Each subject area is
identified and a number of hours for each subject area are identified.
The
purpose is to provide guidance for the training of basic SWAT students. This
ensures the students and their agencies have a base line of knowledge, skills
and abilities for an entry level Tactical Officer.
2. Is it mandatory guidelines by law?
No,
they are recommended standards, at this time.
3. How can I see the program document with the recommended course curriculum?
Contact
Robert Goodner (rgoodner@me.com)
4. How does my agency conduct an APOSTC recognized basic SWAT school?
Submit
a course syllabus to Chief
The
course must contain the subject matter outlined by the recommended standards.
The
course must be sponsored by an
The
Lead Instructor must be an APOSTC Tactical Operations Instructor.
Upon
completion of the course, a roster of graduates must be submitted to Chief
Cooley for routing to APOSTC and issuance of certificates.
5. Can my agency host a training company to conduct a basic SWAT course and the course be recognized by APOSTC?
Yes.
Submit
a course syllabus to Chief
The
course must contain the subject matter outlined by the Recommended Standards for
Basic SWAT Courses.
The
course must be sponsored by an
An
APOSTC Tactical Operations Instructor must certify the course meets the APOSTC
Recommended Standards for Basic SWAT Courses. This can be accomplished by
signature line on the certificate or by memo.
Upon
completion of the course, a roster of graduates must be submitted to Chief
Cooley for routing to APOSTC and issuance of certificates.
Attach
an updated resume to an application and submit it to Chief Cooley.
8. How long is the certificate’s duration?
3
years
A team
certification or recertification can be conducted by submitting a roster to
Chief Cooley with each Officer’s name and the Basic SWAT Course each attended.
The following agency’s courses have been accepted as meeting the Recommended Standards for Basic SWAT Courses:
Mobile
Hoover PD
Tuscaloosa PD
********************************************************************************************
APOSTC Tactical Advisory Committee
Region
1- LT Jeff Graham, Mobile PD
Region
2- David Todd, Dothan
PD
Region
3- LT Tommy Reed, Tuscaloosa
PD
Region
4- CPL Fredy Martinez, Lee County SO
Region
5- LT Eric Nichols, Florence
PD
Region
6- OFC Larry Shields, Huntsville PD
Region
7- Chief Ted Cook, Mountain Brook PD
Region 8- CPT Mark McHenry, AL DPS
ATOA
Representative 1- SGT Curt Carpenter, Hoover
PD
ATOA
Representative 2- Chief Deputy Shane Mayfield, Chilton County
This is the most recent list of the Committee. It is subject to change soon due to personnel reassignments.