S.W.A.T.
Team Competition

Police display fire power

VANDENBERG A.F.B. - The browing strength of police fire power was demostrated Saturday and Sunday in the first Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) team shooting competition ever held.

Eight teams of four men each competed at short range putting 350 rounds of ammunition into human silhouette targets with handguns, semi-automatic countersniper and assult rifles and shotguns.

Huntington Beach police department won the team trophy, with Ventura second. The Los Angeles S.W.A.T. team, subject of much publicity since the incident last year involving the Symbionese Liberation Army group, did not compete.

Several reasons were given for the inablility of the L.A. team to appear, including fear of bad publicity and the fact it would take team members and their fire power out of the country area for two days.

There was no pre-publicity on the event, which was not open to public spectators although some local gunsmiths, police officiers and the press wer invited to the two days of shooting.

The Santa Baraba County Deputy Sheriffs' Association sponsored the event, held on the Vandenberg A.F.B. security police firing range.

Purpose of the contest was to test both the men's ability to handle their weapons in a stressful competitive event, and also to judege the variety of weapons used, according to Roger Bleile, Santa Maria, executive officer of sponsoring group.

He said the men were given only a limited amount of time in which to shoot, which simulated actual situations that could develop in the field.

As an example, during the shotgun competition, the men had only 15 seconds to fire five slug rounds into the target at 25 and 50 yards. At 75 yards, they had 30 seconds to blast five rounds.

The furthest targets were 100 yards away. Handguns were hot at silhouettes as close as 15 feet.

During the noon break Sunday, a specialist from American International Corporation, Salt Lake City, was on hand to demostrate two new police and military weapons, a 22 calibre automatic rifle that shoots up to 20 rounds per second, and an extremely accurate laser-beam sight that can send a beam up to two miles, night or day.

Police were able to shoot the lightweight automatic rifle, and test the laser on both the 22 calibre "machine gun" and an M-16 rifle.

Bliele indicated the S.W.A.T. competition had been organized by his group to provide a central location in the state, in response to the fact there is now widespread possession of special weapons by law enforcement agencies and the need that such weapons be properly deployed.

He indicated the sheriffs' association planned to make the contest an annual event.

Entry fees were paid by the associations of each of the competiting groups and the men entered the contest on their own time Bliele said.

Santa Barbara sheriff's department fielded a team, as did the Grover City police department, Las Vegas Metro police department, San Diego Sheriff's department, San Bernardino Sheriff's department, Santa Monica police department, and the two winners.

Overall individual winner was Bill McMillan of San Diego, who was first in pistol, countersniper rifle and assult rifle and second in shotgun.

Santa Maria Times, California, Monday, July 14, 1975, Page 1

SWAT Teams Compete At Vandenberg

by Roger Bleile
Santa Barbara S.O.
S.W.A.T. Teams Compete at Vandenberg

SANTA MARIA
On July 12, S.W.A.T. teams from California and Nevada arrived at Vandenberg A.F.B. near Santa Maria, California sponsored by the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff's Association.

It was the first event of its kind in the U.S.A.

Each team consisted of four officers who were each required to fire four weapons over a course of fire. Executive Officer and innovater of the competition, Roger Bleile, devised the course of fire to encompass the four basis S.W.A.T. firearms: pistol, countersniper rifle, assault rifle and shotgun. The shooters comppeted simultaneously as individuals and team members in five categories. One category for each weapon plus a Grand Aggregate.

The Grand Aggregate team trophy went to the officers of the Huntington Beach Police Department. Team Captain Val Birkett with officers Pat Gildea, Chuck Poe and Dennis Martin took the trophy with a score of 5805x77 of a possible 7200 points.

Deputy Bill McMillan of the San Diego Sheriff's Department was the top overall individual with a score of 1662x48 of a possible 1800 points. McMillan received gold medals in the Grand Aggregate, Pistol, Countersniper Rifle and Assault Rifle categories as well as a presentation Model 29 Smith and Wesson revolver for his overall skill.

PORAC Newspaper, August 1975