INDIANA – Members of the ISP Special Operations SWAT Section recently traveled to West Hartford, Connecticut to compete in the 2021 Connecticut SWAT Challenge, which ran from August 16-19. This was the 5th year that the Indiana State Police has participated in this particular competition.
ISP SWAT Troopers representing each of the three teams (North, Central, and South) vied for top honors against twenty-three other highly trained SWAT teams from around the United States (240 total competitors). This year 10-member team demonstrated strong expertise and proficiency in a range of athletic, scenario, and firearms-based contests throughout the competition, and ended the week with a very impressive 2nd place overall team standing.
Notably, ISP placed 1st in two events, the 111 Elite Firearms No Escape Challenge and Arc’teryx/Salomon Operator Sniper Challenge. The team also placed 3rd in the Target Sports USA/Tactical Police Gear PT Challenge, which is a physically demanding 5 1/2 mile land course with 34 individual challenges. As evident from the pictures, the course requirements were not the only challenges. For a little added good measure, Mother Nature provided her own difficulties in the form of a nice downpour ahead of the PT Challenge course.
“I am truly proud of the accomplishments achieved by our SWAT troopers competing at this year’s Connecticut SWAT Challenge”, stated Lt. Mark Tow, Tactical Commander for ISP Special Operations. “The overall dedication to each other as a team, as well as their performance individually, while competing against many of the best SWAT teams in that region, speaks volumes to the quality of our ISP SWAT troopers.”
ISP performed very well in the individual competitor events as well. Team members who achieved individual honors include:
- Trooper Dana Harvey, Top Sniper Overall Performance
- Senior Trooper Christopher McCreery, 1st Place Open Rifle
- Trooper Nick Yeager, 3rd Place Open Rifle
- Senior Trooper Andrew Cochran, 10th Place Open Rifle
Established in 2005, the Connecticut SWAT Challenge is a yearly event designed to highlight “tactics, movement techniques, equipment trends” and “fitness levels and shooting proficiency”, while enhancing “professional contacts [and] inter-agency familiarization” of the participating tactical teams. Proceeds from this event support Our Heroes Fund, a veteran-run program supporting first responders.
For more information on the 2021 Connecticut SWAT Challenge, visit their website at https://www.ctswatchallenge.com/.
