El Paso County SWAT team shares insight, dangers of the job

Every SWAT team across El Paso County follows strict protocols when it comes to dangerous drug raids. That also includes the SWAT team in El Paso County.

But it’s not always possible to recognize or eliminate the risks. In fact, already this year, four officers and two K-9 officers have been shot and killed.

Night or day, when Sgt. Greg White puts on his SWAT uniform he knows his life is on the line.

“We feel that risk every time we go out,” he said.

No matter what the call may bring…

He says his job includes serving warrants for narcotics, VIP protection, or searching for a suspect in an open field, just to name a few.

The task also means long hours and can include missing birthday dinners. Something White recently had to miss because of the job.

“We’re on call 24/7 and have to be able to respond within a few minutes usually,” Sgt. White said.

Some of the most dangerous calls are those involving drugs, where criminals are armed and have nothing to lose.

“Obviously there’s a huge propensity for violence surrounding narcotics and the illegal narcotics trade. Including marijuana in this county and this country,” Sgt. White said.

Because while some people come out with their hands up, it’s not always the case.

Like in Houston Monday, where heroin dealers opened fire on officers.

And while those stories would deter most from the job, Sgt. White says it’s his motivation.

“No matter what the state, no matter what the location, no matter what they were doing, that affects us. For me personally and for the members of my team it inspires us to do our job harder, to train harder, to train harder, to make it as safe as we can,” he said.

And Sgt. White says he draws strength from these stories of his brothers and sisters in blue, making the risk worth it.

In the last two years, the county SWAT team has been part of 214 operations, many of those for drug calls.