ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Big news for the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office sniper team: The group recently received national recognition, which thrust them into the national spotlight.
FOX31 was given rare access to one of the team’s training sessions.
Just 25 sniper teams certified in the US
From a hundred yards away, tiny targets become no match for sharpshooters like Sgt. Shane Walker. Walker loves his team.
“Being with these guys. it’s a group of guys that are very humble, hard-working and dedicated,” Walker said.
The American Sniper Association recently certified the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office sniper team.
“The Arapahoe County sniper team demonstrated a commitment to establishing and maintaining a unit that is both professional and proficient. They are doing all of the things necessary to be the sniper team their agency deserves,” said Derrick Bartlett, American Sniper Association president.
It’s now just one of 25 teams in the country that has this designation, according to Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ginger Delgado.
On the day FOX31 was with the team, the temperature was 26 degrees. The team loves this extreme weather because it offers them real-life scenarios, said Lt. Adam Burson, SWAT commander.
The sniper team is specifically formed to work with SWAT on calls. The teams head out together but work on different tactical functions.
The team aims to train in various weather scenarios because they must be able to hit their target and gather information in the most extreme conditions.
School resource officer leads sniper team
During this training session, the officers ran with their rifles and gear at least a hundred yards. All of this happened under the leadership of Walker.
Walker helps choose who makes the team. He is also a school resource officer and supervisor at Cherry Creek Schools in Arapahoe County.
“Honestly, being a sniper, when it comes to tactics, it helps me as a school resource officer. It helps me be prepared to handle any active threat situation. Arapahoe County is prepared for situations like that,” Walker said.
This team trains more than 200 hours a year. They respond to an average of 80 calls in the same time period.
In the movies, a lot of times snipers are shown eliminating threats. This team, though, is quick to tell us they like to remain invisible and gather valuable tactical information that keeps others safe.
“They provide information. We can then make decisions on scenes and critical calls that we would not otherwise not have access to,” Burson said.
The bottom line: “It helps save lives,” Burson said.
Which is why Walker and his teammates will not stop training.