Fresno County SWAT rolls up but just to help the Girl Scouts. Why ‘it was an easy choice’
The Fresno County Sheriff’s SWAT Team has a big appetite for cookies, so of course it called for a “raid” of sorts Saturday
SWAT officers rolled up in their BearCat armored vehicle at the late-morning scene at 1880 Fowler Ave. in Clovis and proceeded to be an easy mark for troops selling Girl Scout cookies at Jefferson Elementary School.
The sheriff’s team bought out the whole supply from the local stand — a contribution of about $500 to cover 100 boxes.
After the deal was completed, troops formed a line to handed over the cookies as deputies loaded the tasty treats inside the truck.
The SWAT Team was approached about the opportunity to do a cookie buyout, Deputy Clinton Horne said, and quickly bought in.
With support from others in the department, including Sheriff Margaret Mims donating some of her own money, they raised the cash they needed.
“It was an easy choice to come out and purchase from this team,” Horne said.
SWAT officers took time for a group photo before they headed out. Some of the cookies will be re-gifted to members of the military and local food pantries.
It was just another way of giving back to the community, Horne said, while also softening SWAT’s image. Even if it’s just a little.
“One of the other things the team tries to do is go out and show just because SWAT shows up it is not always a bad thing,” Horne said.
“We’re here to help the community and interact with the community and with the kids on a more personal level. The teams do a lot of things before COVID happened, but we weren’t able to get out to the community as much. The team really wanted to get on this opportunity and interact with people on a more normal just basic human level. The guys been laughing with the girls all morning.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2021 at 6:37 PM.
