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IX. East Metro SWAT/WMD Summary <br />2013 Annual Report · Police Department · St. Anthony Village, Minnesota <br />15 <br />55th Civil Support Team. The WMD Team has very few <br />operational assignments, most of which have been in support of <br />the US Secret Service for dignitary protection details. <br />Approximately 100 hours of training were completed with this <br />team in 2013. This training included one week Advanced WMD <br />Tactical Operations course that was delivered by instructors from <br />Louisiana State University. This training took place in various <br />parts of the metro area, including Target Field and a Metro Transit <br />facility. Training focused on preventing, responding to and <br />mitigating a WMD threat to our communities. <br />The Sheriff’s Office purchased their own armored vehicle with <br />grant funds in 2013. This vehicle is also available at no cost <br />to other agencies. The armored vehicle, called a BEAR, is <br />manufactured by the same company as the vehicle maintained by <br />East Metro SWAT, but differs is a number of areas. The BEAR is <br />twice as large as the one East Metro SWAT has, and has support <br />systems on board to meet the needs of the WMD Team mission. <br />This vehicle will offer law enforcement and members of the public <br />greater protection from violent threats, as we may confront these <br />incidents more quickly, directly and safely. <br />Equipment and training costs are covered by the county or <br />available state and federal grants. The equipment and team <br />resources are available to participating communities at no cost. <br />As with other resource sharing ventures the Police Department <br />takes part in, membership in both East Metro SWAT and the WMD <br />Team allows our communities to have immediate access to greater <br />networks and resources at reduced cost.