Cochise County sheriff says new regional SWAT team activated in fugitive standoff; two suspects taken into custody

Sheriff Mark Daniels said Cochise County has formalized agreements to operate a regional SWAT team and described a recent activation that resulted in two fugitives being taken into custody. "We officially have a regional SWAT team here in Cochise County," Daniels said, crediting coordinated training and mutual trust among participating agencies.

Daniels said the activation included personnel from Benson Police Department and Sierra Vista Police Department and a sheriff's office helicopter. He described a prior related incident in which a fugitive had escaped but said the most recent operation succeeded in bringing both suspects into custody.

Explaining the role of SWAT, Daniels said the unit is a last resort reserved for tactical, high-risk situations that patrol cannot safely handle. He recounted a separate barricade incident in which officers used less-lethal tools to subdue a person armed with a samurai sword who appeared to be seeking "suicide by cop," saying that less-lethal tactics "took him down" and likely saved his life.

Daniels also noted Sierra Vista Police Department has been assisting with recent operations and that several shootings, including one incident with one deceased and one shot person, remain under investigation; he asked that the facts be allowed to come out through the investigative process.

The sheriff framed the SWAT agreements as a capacity-building step: the agencies will continue joint training and share tactics, equipment and trust to respond to high-risk incidents countywide.