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# SWAT team earns top honors
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/swat-team-earns-top-honors/
- Published: 2007-09-14T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T02:52:39.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Santa Monica SWAT team leader captures the ‘Top Gun’ award*

PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY The Santa Monica Police Department’s Special Entry Team, more commonly known as SWAT, took home top honors earlier this week in the 13th Annual Ventura Police Department SWAT Competition, which pitted local officers against 11 other teams from throughout California.

The team, which has participated in the competition for the last 10 years, also took first place in the physical fitness category, with team leader Sgt. Greg Smiley taking the “Top Gun” award for overall marksmanship and Officer Brent Crafton snagging second place.

The SET team will now compete in the “Best in the West” competition next week, where they will go up against at least 25 SWAT teams from California, Washington and Nevada.

“We’ll kick some ass,” Smiley said. “Really, though, it’s going to be a tough, challenging competition. Naturally, everyone wants to win, but it’s really about going out there and trying to stay sharp.”

Santa Monica’s team has dominated the Ventura competition over the last three years, placing second in the two previous competitions due to low scores in the sniper section, said Ventura PD Cpl. Darrick Brunk.

“They definitely deserved to win,” Brunk said.

Santa Monica faced off against police departments from Costa Mesa, El Segundo, Irvine, Oxnard, Pomona, Riverside, San Luis Obispo and Simi Valley, as well as sheriff’s departments from Kern, San Luis and Ventura counties.

The competition included 10 events in a physically and mentally exhausting eight hours, Brunk said. The events consisted of team and individual competitions that included a dignitary protection scenario, firearms courses using a variety of weapons and targets, team building exercises and a physical fitness challenge, which called on the officers to carry heavy logs through rough terrain.

For taking first place in the event, the Santa Monica team received tactical bags for each member and a custom made shotgun and a team plaque, Brunk said.

SMPD Chief Timothy Jackman told his officers that he “appreciates all the time and effort they put into this, even away from work, to keep their tools and tactics sharp.”

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/091407-12_01.jpg)

of SMPD TOP DOG: Santa Monica SWAT teams came out on top of 11 other organizations in California. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 14, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/091407.pdf?ref=smdp.com)