The stars of the TV show S.W.A.T. were a bunch of military vets all too eager to blast through any obstacles to apprehend their targets.
\That's pretty far from the truth here in Madison,"" said Capt. Luis Yudice, deputy commander of the Madison Police Department's Emergency Response Team.
Yudice and ERT Commander Capt. Jeff Lamar held a briefing Tuesday at the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., to explain the role of the ERT, Madison's version of a real-life SWAT team.
The briefing was held due to concerns expressed by Ald. Barbara Vedder, District 2, about the ERT's tactics that inflicted burns on a suspect arrested in a raid at 123 E. Johnson St., earlier this month.
The burns resulted from a ""flash-bang"" device the officers used to confuse the suspects as they entered the residence.
Lamar said such surprise tactics were necessary so that officers could arrest the heavily-armed suspects before any of them could reach firearms. The entire operation, from the time the officers entered the residence until the suspects were arrested, took 10 seconds, Lamar said.
He added that the 123 E. Johnson St. operation entailed great risk because residents in apartments above and below the one raided could not be safely evacuated.
Lamar said the suspect was injured because he came in ""close contact"" with the flash-bang device. It was the officers' intention to throw the device into the middle of the room, where it would not have come close enough to anyone to harm them, he said.
Yudice stressed the professionalism of the members of the ERT.
""[Members of the ERT] have to have a proven ability to work well under pressure,"" Yudice said. ""They really have to be highly motivated.""
The ERT is called to action only when hostages are being held, suspects have barricaded themselves in a location, search warrants are being exercised in high-risk situations or snipers are involved, Lamar said.
He also told the audience about the history of the Madison ERT, which was formed in the late 1960s, at a time when police departments across the country were forming such squads.
""I think it's really, really important for the community to understand how [the ERT] is functioning,"" Vedder said. ""[The briefing] was very, very informative.\
