Keys detective becomes Monroe County’s first female SWAT member
A Florida Keys major crimes detective is now the first woman to serve on the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT team.
Sheriff Rick Ramsay announced Thursday that Detective Amie Szymanski made the elite squad.
“Detective Szymanski has proven herself to be a professional and dedicated law enforcement officer,” Ramsay said in a statement.
Szymanski, 37, was hired as a deputy in May 2019, first assigned to road patrol. She was recently promoted to detective and assigned to the Major Crimes Unit.
Szymanski completed her first SWAT assignment on Thursday, serving a search warrant at a Key Largo house as part of a drug raid. Deputies arrested one person in that case, said sheriff’s office spokesman Adam Linhardt.
“Team members have all completed a rigorous SWAT entry course that includes psychological testing, high-stress and demanding physical training and the ability to demonstrate proficiency in multiple weapon systems as well as small unit tactics,” Linhardt said. “SWAT members train together twice a month to maintain those skills and to ensure they can all work smoothly together.”
SWAT team members participate in timed physical ability tests and maintain weapons qualifications standards as a requirement to remain on the team, Linhardt said.
The team is primarily used to serve high-risk search warrants and situations where people are barricaded or considered armed and dangerous.
“The team also assists local, state and federal agencies,” Linhardt said.
This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 10:53 AM.
