Instructor

 

 David R. Wood

Lieutenant Wood has been a member of the Columbus, Ohio Division of Police for 32 years with 27 of those years having been spent in the S.W.A.T. Section.  Columbus has the distinction of being Ohio's only full time S.W.A.T. Section for the past 36 years.

Lieutenant Wood served in S.W.A.T. as an officer for 9½ years holding several positions including scout, rifleman, point man, sniper, and gasman.  He was promoted to sergeant in 1990 and was assigned the responsibility for all S.W.A.T. training.  In 1992, he became a team leader and held that position for three years.  In January of 1995, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and took command of the S.W.A.T. Section, Hostage Negotiation Team, and the Canine Unit.

Lieutenant Wood graduated from high school in 1972 and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Franklin University in 1976.  He returned to school in 1998 and received his Graduate Certificate in Human Resources from Central Michigan University in 2001. Lieutenant has received training in all aspects of S.W.A.T. operations from such organizations as the Los Angeles Police Department, U.S. Marines, U.S. Army rangers, U.S. Secret Service, National Tactical Officers Association, Northwestern University, and the FBI.  In the last year he has been involved with coordinating and training of the Columbus, Ohio Division of Police in the area of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Lieutenant Wood has practical experience which includes, but is not limited to, over 575 barricaded situations, 1700 dynamic entries/drug raids, 2060 high risk arrest warrants and an equally high number of stakeouts and surveillance missions.

Assignments:

        Police Officer:                    From:                        To:

Entered service         April 2, 1978

Patrol Bureau            September 1978        May 1981

S.W.A.T. Section     May 1981                 October 1990

        Police Sergeant:                   From:                      To:

Patrol Bureau            October 1990          October 1991

S.W.A.T. Section     October 1991          January 1995

        Police Lieutenant:                 From:                     To:
S.W.A.T. Section     January 1995                Present
Awards:

        1982 Medal of Valor                       Actions above and beyond the call of duty

        1985 Special Commendation

        1989 SWAT Officer of the Year      Exceptional performance

Professional Training:                      Date:          Instruction Provided By:

        Police Recruit Training                Apr 1978     Columbus Police

        Basic S.W.A.T. Course               Dec 1980    Columbus Police

        Sniper Training                            July 1987    FBI

        S.W.A.T. Course                        Aug 1988     Los Angeles County Sheriff

        Pressure Point Control Tactics     June 1989   Columbus Police

        Tactical Response Teams            Sept 1989   Midwest Tactical Training

        Supervisor School                       Nov 1990   Columbus Police

        Supervision of Police Personnel   Aug 1991    Columbus Police

        Police Safety/Survival Course      July 1994     Columbus Police

        High Risk Incident Management   Apr 1996     Northwestern University

        SWAT Supervisor Certification    Jan 1996     Columbus Police SWAT

        Supervision of Tactical Teams     Mar 1996     Ohio State Highway Patrol

        Weapons of Mass Destruction     May 1998     Ohio Fire Academy

        Supervision of Tactical Teams     June 1997     Ohio State Highway Patrol

        Hostage Incidents Course            Mar 1998      Northwestern University

        Supervision of Tactical Teams     June 1999     Ohio State Highway Patrol

Formal Education:

        Bachelor of Science                        1976          Franklin University

        Masters Graduate Certificate            2001          Central Michigan University

 

Instructors