LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — For two years, retired Las Vegas SWAT Lt. William Huddler led some of the most unpredictable police calls in the valley.
Huddler says the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's SWAT team is one of the busiest in the country.
SWAT, or Special Weapons and Tactics Teams, get the call to respond to a variety of different high-level situations, including search warrants and barricades.
When the patrol officers responding don't have the ability to get close to situations, SWAT is called in, Huddler says, calling it the ultimate tool for police agencies to deescalate situations.
While every agency nationwide has different training for their SWAT teams, the cost of using a SWAT team also varies.
"On average, let's say in the middle of the night it can run from $2,000 to $8,000, but every situation is different," Huddler said.
Nationwide, SWAT teams respond approximately 50,000 times per year, The Economist reports. In 2019, LVMPD's SWAT team responded to 360 search warrants, 60 barricades, eight hostage rescues and one active shooter, Huddler said.
