Charleston Police Chief grateful for SWAT team grant

CHARLESTON, W.Va.–Charleston Police Chief Brent Webster says a $135,000 grant approved by the City Council last week for the SWAT team will help the unit immensely.

Webster said the grant, which is a Homeland Security grant, will go exclusively toward new equipment and training.

“The gear that we buy these guys is for safety,” Webster said. “The Kevlar vests for the SWAT team; it’s amazing how expensive that equipment is. And it all has a lifespan on it. It’s not a one-time deal; you have to keep replacing it.”

He also said training is expensive, so they usually train in the area, but the grant will allow for some external training.

“To send that many officers out of town can get very costly, so we do a lot of in-house training with the SWAT team,” Webster explained. “But this grant will allow us to send them to a few schools that are well known outside the area.”

Webster said that not only does the grant help the SWAT team, but it also helps the city of Charleston because the SWAT aims to ensure their safety.

“The citizens of Charleston deserve the best training for us as well. Because the SWAT team represents them and that’s the goal: safety and professionalism.”