What the Seattle Police SWAT Team is doing in The Junction

Thanks to Jason for the first tip on this: If you happen to see the Seattle Police SWAT team trucks on the east side of The Junction, no, there’s nothing scary going on – they’re using a future development site for a training exercise.

They told us they’ll be there till sometime this afternoon. The site where they’re working, at 42nd/Oregon, is the future site of a 7-story apartment building (the city website indicates the permits aren’t all finalized yet, though).

ADDED 2:36 PM: Wider view, showing the SWAT vehicles on scene.

xo March 21, 2012 (11:18 am)

They train all the time. It’s 80 percent of their work. Go SWAT!

WSB March 21, 2012 (11:42 am)

Yup. But we got a couple of notes/texts from people who couldn’t see the sign as they passed by, and since unlike the recent one at Genesee Hill, we didn’t get advance notice, a big chunk of OUR work is to go check out what somebody called/texted/e-mailed about :) Also considering the unsolved murder, almost every police sighting has people on higher alert, we’ve noticed the past few days … TR

Stephanie March 21, 2012 (11:32 am)

I was just in the Junction and while I was walking to my car a lady started screaming and was running to her car but there was nothing visible to why she was screaming. Maybe she seen the SWAT team and got scared?

Dave March 21, 2012 (12:35 pm)

Live across the street. My heart skipped a beat when I heard them yelling for everyone to get down on the ground. Glad it’s just training, and not crackheads!

carlton March 21, 2012 (12:57 pm)

the world is a very scary place when you leave your happy home.

kermit March 21, 2012 (1:09 pm)

WSB-

I’d ask media relations about this incident. This doesn’t appear to be SWAT. The officer on the right appears to be a female and there are no female officers on SWAT. The black BDU’s they are wearing are sometimes worn by regular officers during training. Just FYI…

WSB March 21, 2012 (1:15 pm)

Thanks but (a) I called media relations before we ever went down there, the second Jason sent a note about it. They didn’t have any incidents. I sent THEM a note later saying we’d gone over and found out what was going on. (Training wouldn’t necessarily show up on their radar, so to speak.) (b) We have since been down there twice. It’s training. Practicing walking up to the door with guns drawn, etc. Black uniforms, black SWAT vehicles we’ve seen at incidents a zillion times. You’re saying you think it’s some other unit?
.
P.S. Seriously, there are NO women in SPD SWAT? Really?

kermit March 21, 2012 (1:24 pm)

It’s definitely training…the green leg bands indicate that. Just not sure of the unit…

Ajax March 21, 2012 (2:21 pm)

I lived across the alley from this house a few years ago and I’m suprised that SWAT wasn’t called out there for real on several occassions.

Anne March 21, 2012 (2:25 pm)

Geez-does it really matter what unit it is-it’s not enough to know that SPD is conducting a training execise??? I also find it hard to believe that women aren’t part of SPD SWAT.

kermit March 21, 2012 (2:34 pm)

i take it back…It was SWAT…and, yes, there are no female SWAT officers….

WSB March 21, 2012 (2:36 pm)

I’m adding one more photo – wider shot that shows the vehicles, just for posterity’s sake … we kept missing the photo op with the doorknock-enter action …. TR

carlton March 21, 2012 (5:08 pm)

Maybe, there were no women who qualified to be SWAT……….really!

WSB March 21, 2012 (5:25 pm)

I am told, upon further inquiries, that the SWAT Team has NOT been an all-male bastion – there have been female commanders, apparently. Still researching. – TR

LivesinWS March 21, 2012 (7:40 pm)

That white bungalow-style house is going to be torn down? Shame.

Mike March 22, 2012 (9:43 pm)

Maybe SPD should hang a blaze orange banner on the house saying ‘SWAT TRAINING IN SESSION’. $1 says people still freak.
.
I do think they should at least notify the neighbors on that block of their training there. Would be a nice courtesy, simple enough with flyers like you get from the lawn service and pizza places around here

Sorry, comment time is over.