Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center SWAT Team Merger Called ‘Wave of the Future’

Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center police already work together often due to their close proximity. Now both cities have formalized a partnership to merge their SWAT and Crisis Negotiator teams into one unit.

Brooklyn Center Police Chief Garett Flesland said a potential merger has been thought about for years.

“These critical incidents, they don’t respect the boundaries, geographic boundaries — so why should we? — when we try to put the right resources for these situations,” said Flesland.

The combined unit will allow officers from each city to train and respond together for critical incidents.

Brooklyn Park Deputy Chief Elliot Faust said the politically motivated assassinations of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, strengthened the idea into reality.

“So I think we need to learn from the past and prepare for the future. That’s what our jobs as leaders in public safety is to do,” said Faust. “That’s what you’re seeing here is innovating and preparing our communities more for … God forbid anything like that would ever happen again — but it’s what our jobs is to do, is to prepare for things like that.”

Faust pointed out that the June 14 assassinations required 30 SWAT teams to bring suspect Vance Boelter into custody.

Faust and Flesland also acknowledged that not only have the number of critical incidents increased, they’ve become more violent.

Critical incidents could include an arrest of a homicide suspect or a domestic situation where a person barricaded themselves inside a home.

“If we’re really going to handle these critical incidents as safe as possible, we always have to ask for help. No one department can do it, regardless of the size of the department,” said Flesland.

Merger Will ‘Not Give Up Accountability’

According to Faust, bigger isn’t always better when combining teams. But this merger made sense to both cities because of their similarities.

“Both of our communities are unique. But we share a ton of things in common,” said Faust. “And our agencies are helping each other out constantly. Because we’re close and we have a good relationship.”

Added Flesland, “We’re not growing two teams and making teams bigger. We’re making a stronger, more capable team, instead of having two smaller teams.”

Brooklyn Park will act as the host agency through a joint-powers agreement for the combined unit. The police chiefs of the two cities will provide oversight and have equal say in how the team is used.

Flesland stressed that his department will “not give up accountability” for what happens in his city through this merger. 

“Ultimately, I think this is going to make things safer for the communities of Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center and for the staff of Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park,” said Flesland. 

The makeup of the combined SWAT team will include a total of 37 officers — 12 from Brooklyn Center and 25 from Brooklyn Park, proportionate to the size of each city’s police department. The combined Crisis Negotiation Team will have 18 officers — five from Brooklyn Center and 13 from Brooklyn Park. Both specialized teams work together responding to critical incidents.

An officer with the Brooklyn Park SWAT team responded to a critical incident/Credit CCX News

‘Wave of the Future’

Flesland said partnerships like this one will only become more common, describing them as the “wave of the future,” pointing to other local combined units.

Crystal, New Hope and Robbinsdale have worked collaboratively together as West Metro SWAT for more than 20 years. Faust said Anoka County police departments recently banded together resources for crisis response. Plymouth and Maple Grove are also in talks of a SWAT team merger, said Faust.

Responding to critical incidents requires special training and expertise. Safety is of utmost concern.

Faust said Brooklyn Park has had 33 operations for critical incidents, including arrests of homicide suspects, so far this year, but not one required a single use of lethal force against someone involved. Two incidents did require less-lethal pepper-ball irritants to resolve people barricaded inside homes.

Flesland said the combined team will help keep officers fresh. He had raised concern if the status quo remained.

“We are going to burn out our people if we are constantly putting them in harms way,” said Flesland.

Also see: Brooklyn Park Police Harness Power of AI

Brooklyn Center | Brooklyn Park