SRT suspended

LAKE COUNTY - The Mission Valley Special Response Team has been suspended indefinitely effective last Wednesday, Lake County Undersheriff Jay Doyle said.

"The Sheriff felt there were not enough people to run it safely, so he suspended the team," Doyle said.

Doyle said there are not a certain number of people required to run the team, but because it is a multijurisdictional agency, he said manpower can become an issue.

Tribal officers, LCSO deputies, Polson Police officers and even people from Sanders County have been on the team in years past, SRT Commander Luc Mathias said. At least 10 people are needed to run the team safely, he said.

"We need an entry team and sniper team at least," Mathias said. "Right now we're at four or five people. We hope eventually people will get back on the right track and join the team."

Potential members need six hours of training per month, and Mathias said efforts are made to send all members to basic SWAT training.

Mathias has been with the department for 15 years and has been an SRT member since then. In that time, he said, the team has been suspended three or four times because of manpower issues. Mathias said officers are paid overtime hours if not on regular shift when the team is deployed.

"It can be used anywhere from eight to 20 times per year, it depends," Mathias said. "It's used frequently by the Northwest Drug Task Force during high risk warrants."

If a situation arises where a team is need, Doyle said Missoula or Kalispell will be contacted for possible assistance.