Today we had the pleasure of welcoming two members of Simi Valley's SWAT Team, Sergeant Patrick Zayicek and Police Detective Kyle Crocker. Patrick apologized for being late, blaming it on some crazy guy dropping an iPad in the road. All eyes turned to Dr. P....
But, before Patrick and Kyle were allowed to make their presentation, they had to prove their mettle to us. And what better way of proving it than to have them compete in that most manly of competitions, the Water Balloon Toss. To make matters worse for Patrick and Kyle, we brought in a ringer for them to compete against. Yes, our very own Master Water Balloon Tosser, Vince "the Beast" Dulcich. Let's just say that Vince met his match in Kyle.
Patrick has been with Simi PD for 17 years working in various departments. Besides SWAT, he currently works in public relations. Kyle has been on the force for 15 years, 13 of which has been with SWAT. He has also worked in various departments with an expertise in fire arms. One of his current duties involves hiring new officers.
They explained that the Simi Valley SWAT team is made up of 6 part time members with training taking place twice a month. While Simi Valley's need for a SWAT Team response is fairly rare, their training assumes a worse case scenario. They explained that a SWAT team is made up of an Entry Team and a Containment Team with the goal of always looking for a peaceful resolution to any incident.
They brought one of their support vehicles with them. It is their equipment truck that was purchased from the Fire Department for $1 which they have had for 4-5 years now.
Patrick, in his role with Public Relations, let us know of a couple of upcoming events. One has to do with Breast Cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and, in honor of that, the Simi Valley Police Department is selling Pink Patches which look similar to the SVPD logo but in pink. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society. The other is a Halloween Drive Thru Trick or Treat family event at the Police Station on October 24th from 6-10 pm.
Kyle, in his role of hiring new police officers, let us know that the department is currently hiring. With the pending retirement of a some the officers, there will be quite a few openings coming up. The hiring process takes about six months and a person needs to be 21 years old or older upon his appointment with no maximum age limit. So, for those retirees out there who are looking for another career, something to think about. You do need to pass a physical test though. Details, details......
