'We have to be prepared'
Lodi SWAT, negotiation teams take to water for practice
By Layla Bohm
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Last updated: Thursday, July 12, 2007 6:41 AM PDT
The man was upset because he
thought his girlfriend was cheating on
him. He had a loaded handgun and
had made threats in the past.
So when he and a woman wound up
on a raft in the middle of Lodi Lake,
police were concerned.
Wednesday's incident was only a
training drill, and the suspect and
woman were actually police cadets.
But the exercise gave SWAT
members and hostage negotiators the
chance to work together in an unfamiliar situation, Lt. Chris Pombo said.
Wednesday's incident was only a training drill, and the suspect and woman were actually
police cadets. But the exercise gave SWAT members and hostage negotiators the chance to
work together in an unfamiliar situation, Lt. Chris Piombo said.
"We have to be prepared for anything," he said Wednesday morning, standing near a mobile
command center just west of Lodi Lake. "It's the same idea, whether on land, air or sea."
While hostage negotiators worked inside the command center, SWAT snipers hid in the
green foliage beside Lodi Lake.
Three SWAT members took their black armored car to the north side of the lake — where
they'd put up "police training" signs to keep pedestrians from worrying. Another group of
SWAT members hid out of sight in a boat.
All kept their eyes on police cadets Kyle Barrow, the "suspect," and Melissa Gooding, the
"victim."
From 6:30 a.m. to around 9:45 a.m., officers
gathered more information on the suspect's
previous problems, writing down every call and
movement in the mobile command center.
Hostage negotiators talked to Barrow by phone.
Barrow, Piombo and SWAT Officer Sierra Brucia,
who organized the training session, had planned
some of the things he would say and do, but the
rest of the officers and dispatchers had no idea.
If the scenario had been real, police would have
evacuated the lake area and had real ammunition,
Lt. Bill Barry said. Instead, they allowed dog
walkers and joggers to continue their normal
routines.
Even so, Gooding, who spent the morning on the raft, wasn't sure where the camouflaged
officers were.
Not until Barrow "shot her" (she was wearing a protective vest and he was using "simunition,"
similar to paintballs) and then "shot himself" did they see officers.
Lodi SWAT, negotiation teams take to water for practice
By Layla Bohm
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Last updated: Thursday, July 12, 2007 6:41 AM PDT
The man was upset because he
thought his girlfriend was cheating on
him. He had a loaded handgun and
had made threats in the past.
So when he and a woman wound up
on a raft in the middle of Lodi Lake,
police were concerned.
Wednesday's incident was only a
training drill, and the suspect and
woman were actually police cadets.
But the exercise gave SWAT
members and hostage negotiators the
chance to work together in an unfamiliar situation, Lt. Chris Pombo said.
Wednesday's incident was only a training drill, and the suspect and woman were actually
police cadets. But the exercise gave SWAT members and hostage negotiators the chance to
work together in an unfamiliar situation, Lt. Chris Piombo said.
"We have to be prepared for anything," he said Wednesday morning, standing near a mobile
command center just west of Lodi Lake. "It's the same idea, whether on land, air or sea."
While hostage negotiators worked inside the command center, SWAT snipers hid in the
green foliage beside Lodi Lake.
Three SWAT members took their black armored car to the north side of the lake — where
they'd put up "police training" signs to keep pedestrians from worrying. Another group of
SWAT members hid out of sight in a boat.
All kept their eyes on police cadets Kyle Barrow, the "suspect," and Melissa Gooding, the
"victim."
From 6:30 a.m. to around 9:45 a.m., officers
gathered more information on the suspect's
previous problems, writing down every call and
movement in the mobile command center.
Hostage negotiators talked to Barrow by phone.
Barrow, Piombo and SWAT Officer Sierra Brucia,
who organized the training session, had planned
some of the things he would say and do, but the
rest of the officers and dispatchers had no idea.
If the scenario had been real, police would have
evacuated the lake area and had real ammunition,
Lt. Bill Barry said. Instead, they allowed dog
walkers and joggers to continue their normal
routines.
Even so, Gooding, who spent the morning on the raft, wasn't sure where the camouflaged
officers were.
Not until Barrow "shot her" (she was wearing a protective vest and he was using "simunition,"
similar to paintballs) and then "shot himself" did they see officers.
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During a training session, the Lodi
SWAT team speeds toward a
"hostage situation" on a dock in the
middle of Lodi Lake on Wednesday
morning. (Brian Feulner -
News-Sentinel)
SWAT team speeds toward a
"hostage situation" on a dock in the
middle of Lodi Lake on Wednesday
morning. (Brian Feulner -
News-Sentinel)
Tactical Dispatcher Maria Butterfield
fills out suspect information from the mobile
operations center during a SWAT training
session Wednesday at Lodi Lake. (Brian
Feulner/News-Sentinel)
fills out suspect information from the mobile
operations center during a SWAT training
session Wednesday at Lodi Lake. (Brian
Feulner/News-Sentinel)
Snipers reacted quickly, as did the
officers in a nearby boat, who sped
to the "victim" and quickly grabbed
her and took her to shore.
"I couldn't see them until I got shot. I
looked up and saw them coming to
get me," said Gooding, 18, who
graduated this spring from Bear
Creek High School and is attending
San Joaquin Delta College with the
goal of entering the police academy.
By 10 a.m. the officers were leaving
Lodi Lake, heading off to discuss
what went well and what needed
improvement. Pedestrians and
fishermen went on about their
business.
officers in a nearby boat, who sped
to the "victim" and quickly grabbed
her and took her to shore.
"I couldn't see them until I got shot. I
looked up and saw them coming to
get me," said Gooding, 18, who
graduated this spring from Bear
Creek High School and is attending
San Joaquin Delta College with the
goal of entering the police academy.
By 10 a.m. the officers were leaving
Lodi Lake, heading off to discuss
what went well and what needed
improvement. Pedestrians and
fishermen went on about their
business.