CLEVELAND — It’s been 40 years since the original Cleveland SWAT was created and though they may not be on the police force anymore, the imprint is still with the unit.
From the beginning, Edward Futchko helped make it happen.
“I was original, I was one of the original guys,” Futchko said.
The unit started in 1979 and was developed during a time when violence was high and police needed to be equipped to respond.
“It was a learning experience for everybody and we got the opportunity and the chance to pass that on to the people that are there now,” Futchko said.
Andrew Crytzer is one of the men there now. He’s been with SWAT for 10 years.
“They took the time to figure out the steps when we do our entries, when we do our dynamic things, they put it through its paces first, “Crytzer said. “Without them, we wouldn’t have the wherewithal to do what we do now.”
Times have changed, though. There’s new safety measures and new equipment like robots and soon, drones.
The lieutenant for the unit now, Ray Kalocza, has noticed the differences in the 10 years he’s been with the team.
“It’s getting a little more dangerous out there in the streets though, more assault rifles out there,” Lt. Kalocza said. “As the divisions’ policies change, especially with uses of force and deadly force situations, we have to be concurrent with them.”
It helps that the foundation was already set.
“These are things that were tried and tested by LA SWAT who came in and trained us originally,” Futchko said.
Now, the focus is on growing with the times and keeping old memories alive.
For Daniel Galmarini, who joined the team close to 10 years after it was up and running, he’s seen many faces come and go but the mentality and work ethic has stayed the same.
“With all the training we do, the guys really want to do something good for the city and it shows in the work they do.”