Thirteen SWAT teams get a chance to test their mettle in Spartanburg competition

Dave Lane taunted police 13 times Friday afternoon. He refused to follow their directions and he gave vague answers to pointed questions.

When they told him to sit down, he stood. When they asked about his neighbors, he didn't know for sure how many people lived next door. Lane, 83, was trying to be difficult because he was part of a hostage rescue in the Spartanburg County Detention Center SWAT competition. He faced 13 local, regional and out-of-state teams in the exercise.

Lane's makeshift home was a training building at the Spartanburg County Emergency Services complex. His neighbors, shacked up in a neighboring building, were the targets of the raid. The neighbors, who were armed heavily with guns, had taken hostages after shooting at least one person, the teams were told. One of the hostages escaped and ran to Lane's home for help. Lane used a telephone to relay the situation to hostage negotiators.

"They are taking my word that the other guy with me doesn't have a gun as far as I know," said Lane, a Spartanburg resident who volunteers at the Sheriff's Office.

Off-duty police officers played the role of the drunken hostage-takers. Both sides of the conflict used paintballs as ammunition in their guns.

The teams were graded on the speed and accuracy of their work. The officers wore dark-colored outfits, bulletproof vests, Kevlar helmets, bullet resistant shields and carried walkie-talkie radios.

"It is very realistic in terms of scenarios they have," Greer Police Chief Dean Crisp said. "It is hard to get a group of people together who are willing to get shot with fake rounds."

The officers had 20 minutes to complete the exercise. Some teams sprinted toward the buildings while others meticulously approached their targets.

The Spartanburg police team completed the exercise in seven minutes, saving a hostage, shooting one suspect and apprehending two other gunmen.

"You can tell the ones that are not as sharp," Lane said. "They take a little too long. They wait until we are finished talking before they send the team in."

Several officers were shot at different points of the exercise. One officer tripped on a street curb near the second house.

After each team completed the course, they met as a group and critiqued their work.

"We get a lot training that police officers wouldn't normally get," said Spartanburg police Sgt. Mark Alexander. "You have to think on your feet and be a good marksman."

The hostage competition was part of a series of events in the three-day competition, which started Thursday afternoon. Other events included a repelling rescue, a pistol shoot-off and a shotgun shooting competition. Points were awarded in descending order to the top finishers in each event. The overall winner was the team that collected the most points throughout the competition.

The competition included teams from Greer, Greenville, Rock Hill, Charleston, Gastonia, N.C., Fort Stewart, Ga., and Indian River, Fla.

Spartanburg County detention officers officiated the program with assistance from Spartanburg sheriff's deputies.