If you look at a photo of the Chattanooga Police Department’s SWAT team, you’ll see a heavily armed group of officers wearing protective gear and poised to rush to the site of any hostage-taking situation in the area.
SWAT stands for “special weapons and tactics,” and that’s what the elite team is supposed to do, use special gear and tactics to deal with the most difficult situations local police officers might face.
But look more closely at the photo and you’ll notice three or four people wearing full gear but carrying no weapons.
They’re among the least-known members of the team – a small group of local doctors and paramedics who accompany the team to provide fast medical care for any officer who is wounded or injured. For team members, that anonymity is just fine.
“We really like to be behind the scenes,” said Adam Royer, one of the team’s emergency medical technicians, who spends most of his days managing Erlanger’s operating rooms as administrator for surgical services. “We don’t want to take credit. They’re the ones out there running at the bullets.”