The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was in full force at Downey Studios this afternoon to test SWAT maneuvers. I'm not sure if this was an announced event, but passers-by kept driving in and kids old and young were excited to board the SWAT helicopter. The officers were patient, allowing everyone to take a turn for a picture.
I know these elite teams are trained for counter terrorism and extreme cases of law enforcement, but this felt kinda like a photo shoot. That was, until I looked closely at the controls in the cockpit. It was the button that read "weapons system" that reminded me these guys train to be prepared for scary situations and I'm really glad they do.
According to Wikipedia: A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers.
