SPANISH FORK — Jeff Slack arrived at the SWAT training ready to act as a hostage or a kidnapper. It really didn't matter which one.
"We’re just here to volunteer our time, either be hostage or bad guy or whatever they need us to do," he said.
Slack was among dozens of volunteers who role-played a hostage rescue scenario Thursday at the third annual Mountain States SWAT Training and Competition.
The two-day event included various trainings and competitions, such as live-shooter scenarios, live-fire courses, hands-on demonstrations and an obstacle course. Nearly 200 law enforcement officers from across the state got together to practice and compete at the Utah County Sheriff's Office Thistle Gun Range in Spanish Fork Canyon.
"It’s cool to see the teams come in and how they approach things differently," Slack said. "When it’s a real scenario, they’ll be better prepared for it, and they’ll go home to their families. And that’s what this is all about."
Orem Police Sgt. Mike Paraskeva ran the live-shooter scenarios where Slack played a role. The simulations took place on a school bus, at a school and a local courthouse in Utah County.
"We train as if it’s real life. At the end of the day, you only can simulate so much in training," Paraskevasaid. "These type of scenarios — especially when we have the valued asset of role-players — are invaluable to law enforcement because it gives the opportunities to where we can make it almost as real-life as possible."
Police supply store Curtis Blue Line organizes the annual event, partnering with the Utah County Sheriff's Office and Utah 1033 Foundation.
"We try to build on the prior year, so every year it’s getting a little better and a little better," said Jason Richards, event director with Curtis Blue Line. "It’s been progressively getting more and more challenging each year."
Before moving to Utah, Richards served on the SWAT team with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in Florida. He recently retired from North Davis SWAT to join Curtis Blue Line as a law enforcement specialist.
Richards said he noticed that Utah didn't offer as many SWAT trainings as some other states. He suggested that Curtis Blue Line host its own event, complete with a raffle and T-shirts.
Nine teams competed in this year's event, and Richards said he hopes to get as many as 20 teams together in the coming years.
"They get to gain training, hone their skills, find out where their weakness are in an environment that’s designed for what they do," he said. "It’s a bunch of individuals putting in maximum effort for the greater good."
Attendance costs $100 per operator, and all proceeds go to the Utah 1033 Foundation, a nonproft group supporting families of fallen Utah law enforcement officers.
In 2011, Tore and Mona Steen founded the Utah 1033 Foundation as a way to give back to the community. When a Utah officer dies in the line of duty, the foundation gives a $25,000 check to the family within 24 hours.
Utah 1033 also sets up a $25,000 education trust for the family and establishes a scholarship in the fallen officer's name.
"It’s part of what we try to do to keep the memory alive and keep in touch with the families, and make sure they know how much their sacrifice is appreciated, even when it’s not news anymore," Mona Steen said.
The organization's name comes from the Utah police code "10-33," a call sign for when an officer needs immediate help.
"All these guys, the job they do is dangerous," Richards said. "They don’t always get thanked for what they do."
In its first year, the SWAT competition donated $7,300 to Utah 1033. Last year's donations reached nearly $10,400.
Officer Shawn Parker, with the BYU/Provo/Orem SWAT team, has competed in the training since it began three years ago.
"This is the best way to earn money for officers who have lost their lives in the line," he said. "This is the least that we can do."
Parker and his team were among the first to complete the obstacle course, which included running up a steep hill, scaling a mountain of tires, crawling through plastic pipes, scaling a rope, and climbing a multilevel wooden structure.
"Being able to do physical training with the team really brings everybody together and gives you an idea of where you're at mentally and physically," he said.
Utah County sheriff's deputy and SWAT member Corey King said training with other agencies helps officers work together more smoothly when multiple departments are called out on a crisis.
"If you’re exposed to it in training, you’ve got an idea of how to handle it when it really happens and really takes place," King said. "All these people are a bunch of close-knit guys who would do anything for each other."