SWAT Brings home the gold

LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, November 19, 1998
LAPD SWAT Brings Home the Gold

On Sunday, November 8, 1998, eight of the 67 members of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team traveled to Florida to compete in the 16th Annual "SWAT Round Up". This yearly event was hosted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, located in Orlando, Florida.

This is the largest SWAT event of this type in the world and an international showcase for special operations teams. Referred to by many as the "Tactical Olympics", teams from Asia, Europe and North America go head to head in this weeklong competition. The intensity of this year’s competition was no exception to that of previous years. A total of 69 military and law enforcement teams from the United States of America, Canada, Bosnia, Germany, Hungary and Kuwait competed against each other in five team events designed to test tactical team’s abilities.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) team comprised of seven officers and one sergeant was selected to represent SWAT based on their performance under pressure, skill, athleticism and tactical abilities. Officer’s Mark Akiyoshi, Bill Casey, Steve Gordon, Mike Odle, Lee McMillion, Ken Pickart and Wilson Wong, and Sergeant Doug Reid were chosen to get the job done. LAPD’s team began training for the event in September 1998, and nothing less than maximum effort would produce the desired result to bring home the gold.

After five days of competition, LAPD’s team accumulated 339 points (out of 345 possible) to secure a 1st place in the overall competition. Second place went to Dallas, Texas SWAT with 335 points and third to GSG9, Germany with 300 points.

We would like to acknowledge the support of Police Chief Bernard C. Parks, retired Chief Daryl F. Gates, retired Deputy Chief Glenn Levant of DARE America, LAPD "Life on the Beat" television series, and the Los Angeles Police Protective League. We would also like to thank the LAPD family for their continued encouragement and support throughout the years.

For Release 2:20 pm PST
November 19, 1998