The Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office S.W.A.T Unit has a staffing level of up to twenty four tactical operators, eight crisis negotiators and one unit commander. Six Operators are considered full time members and assist other departments such as Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, and Patrol with crime suppression details and high risk raids.
The full time members of this unit are also tasked with serving arrest warrants on a daily basis. This is their primary duty when not assisting other departments. S.W.A.T. focuses on apprehending dangerous felons but serve many misdemeanor warrants in their day to day operations.
S.W.A.T. is on 24 hour stand-by, 365 days a year, for any special event that is above and beyond the normal scope of patrol duties, such as high risk warrants service, hostage/barricade situations, high risk transports, etc. The unit trains in firearms, tactics, physical fitness, and negotiations. Full time members train weekly, while part time members train, at minimum, bi-monthly.
As with the Bomb Squad, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office S.W.A.T. Unit is considered a regional asset and serves a 15 county area which comprises the local South Plains Association of Governments.
