By JW August
The Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) for the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) faces some hair raising scenarios. It might be a standoff after hostages are taken during a robbery, an angry shooter firing out a window onto the street or perhaps a murder suspect holed up in a dark, abandoned warehouse.
Given the job and its dangers, the SWAT unit looks for way to reduce the potential for deadly fallout for both the cops, civilians and suspects. At least that’s the game plan according to SDPD.
On Wednesday the 10th of July, at the Public Safety Committee hearing before members of the San Diego City Council, the department laid out all the details on three new items to help the SWAT team.
There are three items-robots to send into dangerous places, a tiny camera that can slide under doors and a new communications system which includes elements of “old school” technology.
These items, the robots, the camera and the phones were on the meetings consent agenda because all the information regarding the items were previously reviewed by public citizen groups and council members. This included details on their mission, costs, and who controls the use of the items, as required by the city’s surveillance ordinance, passed in 2022. The ordinance says any technologies used by city employees must be be publicly vetted before they are put into service. All three of these items sailed through.
These are not weapons but potentially life saving technology that’s assigned to the members of the 72 officer SWAT team. Specifically within that group the 12 officers classified as the Special Response Team.
The Robots
The team will be handling the three types of robots the city is purchasing. Each of the robots have different capabilities. According to SDPD report to the Public Safety committee the robots have the ability “to look into a structure or area for a potentially violent individual without having to put an operator in harm’s way.” These robots are used to de-escalate potentially violent situations by allowing SWAT officers to see into places too dark for the naked eye to see while not having to expose the officer to danger”. Each has multiple cameras with infrared capabilities. One of the robots can record audio and video, as well as listen and communicate. It’s joined by another robot that can also listen and communicate. These “listeners” are primarily used by the Emergency Negotiations Team which does most of the talking to people inside the structure.
This team is composed of sworn SDPD personnel, SDPD Chaplains, agents from the FBI and Naval Criminal Intelligence.
Another robot called FLIR (Gen 1) does not have the ability to listen or communicate. But the device has “rubber tracks and articulating front and rear flippers, allowing it to effortlessly climb stairs. It also includes an extendible rotating claw arm that simplifies opening door handles.” And the SDPD memorandum to the city council says the robots increase “the safety for both the officers involved in the operation as well as any person in the target structure or area by giving the SWAT unit real time intelligence”, invaluable when dealing with a barricaded suspect or a hostage situation. The FLIR cost is $20,000 for each robot and the SWAT team has a $10,000 dollar a year budget to keep them in good repair. Another model robot, ICOR, costs $55,000 each and also has a $10,000 budget for keeping it up and running.
Under the Door Camera
The “Swift under door camera” does exactly as described. The SDPD documents describe it as “exceptionally compact” providing real time viewing in four directions at the same time, forward, upward/backward, left and right. It has infrared abilities As with the robots, their operation is the responsibility of the Special Response Team inside of the SWAT unit.
Once the video and audio are recorded by the under the door camera, the card is impounded as evidence. The SWAT operator, says the department’s memo to the council, “will make every effort to only record the target of the observation to protect the privacy of nearby uninvolved citizens and their property.” The agency has two of the tiny cameras now, costing $17,105 each. There are pricey models available but PD preferred the Swift.
The Throw Phone
The SWAT team is also receiving the Tactical Throw Phone. Paid for with a Homeland Security Grant, it cost $69,850.31. It’s used during crisis/life threatening events involving negotiations between suspects and/or hostages and crisis negotiators. The regional Emergency Negotiations Team also has access to the system as needed.
Tactical Throw Phone allows law enforcement to deploy a hardwired phone into a barricade/hostage scenario. It works as a cell phone, a landline phone as well.
SDPD reported it’s one of the leading technologies available and “no other technology is ruggedized to the degree” of the Tactical Throw Phone. It’s able to broadcast on a closed network allowing additional negotiators and incident commanders real time information for assessment.
One item not on the consent agenda for the same Public Safety meeting and up for discussion is the installation of surveillance cameras on six major streets in Hillcrest.
These camera placement locations were never reviewed as required by the city’s surveillance ordinance. Privacy activists question why the rush? San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl wants to fast track their installation in advance of San Diego Pride Parade because of “exigent” circumstances, a legal term used by law enforcement in the event of the potential for “imminent danger to life or serious damage to property”. While there was no mention of any specific threat Chief Wahl was concerned over the increase in hate crimes in Hillcrest.
This is source for picture below ….its listed as Item 2 presentation https://sandiego.hylandcloud.com/211agendaonlinecomm/Meetings/ViewMeeting?id=6120&doctype=1&site=comm
