The Manteca Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team was formed in 1983. The team was comprised of seven police officers. The original equipment consisted of handguns (revolvers) and shotguns. Training occurred one day a month. The original SWAT vehicle, an ambulance, was converted to fill the needs of SWAT.

The current SWAT Team is a multi-agency team (Manteca Police Department, Ripon Police Department and Lathrop Police Department). The SWAT team consists of a Team Commander, a Team Leader, an assistant Team Leader, 12 operators from Manteca Police Department, three operators from Ripon Police Department and five operators from Lathrop Police Department. The SWAT Team now has an armored vehicle capable of safely and efficiently taking the team into hazardous environments.

The SWAT Team is a designated unit of law enforcement officers that is specifically trained and equipped to work as a coordinated team to resolve critical incidents that are so hazardous, complex, or unusual that they may exceed the capabilities of first responders or investigative units including, but not limited to, hostage taking, barricaded suspects, snipers, terrorist acts and other high-risk incidents. The primary objective of the Manteca Police Department’s SWAT Team is to solve problems efficiently and effectively with minimal risk to all involved.

The SWAT Team trains twice a month, ten hours each day in many different disciplines and is on call twenty-hour hours a day. The team members have all undergone intensive, specialized training, including a rigorous quarterly physical fitness qualification. The team is equipped with the newest weaponry and technology including; rifles, diversionary devices, less lethal weapons, and video equipment which enables the team to search attic/crawl spaces without jeopardizing team safety.

The SWAT team works closely with the Hostage Negotiations Team and Tactical Dispatch. Together these units are called the Critical Response Unit and usually are activated at the same time. The units have been established to provide specialized support in handling critical field operations where intense negotiations and/or special tactical deployment methods beyond the capacity of field officers appear to be necessary. The team is also available to any local, state or federal law enforcement agency upon request.

The Manteca Police Department’s SWAT Team is committed to the community and officer safety.