The Gainesville Police SWAT team is getting back to work after being inactive for about four months.
On Sunday, the team reactivated after replacing six positions, which included a team commander, an executive officer and four team leaders, said GPD spokesperson Chief Inspector Jorge Campos. The team now has 22 members.
The team commander, which is the head position of the team, will be Lt. Michael West, who served as an operator on the SWAT team and a traffic officer from 1997 to 2003. In 2003, he left the SWAT team to work full-time in the traffic unit.
The 50-year-old has been a Gainesville Police officer for almost 24 years, he said.
“I jumped at the opportunity to come back and be the commander of the team, [it’s] something that's kind of near and dear to my heart,” West said.
GPD’s SWAT was deactivated in November due to four members resigning after a shooting at concert at the Heart of the City Hookah Lounge, at 1221 E. University Ave. The local police union sent a letter to the city manager and GPD criticizing the department for ignoring safety concerns.
GPD used the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team since Nov. 19.
Before reactivating, the team trained at least 24 hours a month since January at specialty schools that teach different functions of the SWAT team, like commanding, sniping and litigating, West said.
“We bring it all together with training,” West said. “We have to make it a cohesive team and that’s what we have here.”
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Lt. Michael West is 50 years old. The Alligator previously reported differently.
