By Josh Holderbaum
Western Herald
Successfully making it through a simulated hostage situation can be difficult for police officers. When a local 
unit is required to work with an entirely Spanish-speaking unit, it requires more forethought on both sides.
Last week, Costa Rican officers trained alongside Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers in hostage rescue programs at Ft. Custer Army Training Center in Battle Creek. The exchange was the brainchild of TACTICA Ministries, an organization created by Sgt. Ryan Rought, formerly of KDPS.
“I worked for the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety and SWAT for 13 years,” Rought explained. “Around 2004 I visited Bolivia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala. I saw what their police system was like and when I came back it was like God had impressed on my life [the need] to do something for them.”
After moving to Costa Rica with his family, Rought received permission to hold three training programs each year for Costa Rican officers from the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism and the Costa Rican government. Around eight United States officers volunteered to train Costa Ricans at each event.
“Two-hundred cops showed an interest in going,” Rought said. “We had cops from Phoenix, Arizona to Ludington, Michigan. They’d train anywhere from 40 to 80 Costa Ricans.”
After a few training events, Rought hoped to reverse the event and bring Costa Ricans to the U.S.
“For our third training event, I contacted the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety and said I’d like to offer them a hostage rescue program,” Rought said. “I said I’d teach one unit of [their] officers and two Phoenix officers on the condition that I could also train a group of Costa Ricans.”
All the Costa Rican officers had their plane tickets paid for by an anonymous U.S. family and received training visas from the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica. Each exchange officer stayed with a KDPS officer’s family during their stay.
The Costa Rican officers are members of Unidad Especial de Apoyo, literally “Protection Special Unit,” and Unidad de Intervención Policial, or “Intervention Police Unit.” The UEA and UIP have duties similar to SWAT in the U.S.
Both groups seemed nervous when training began.
“The first hour was so tense,” Lt. Gustavo Gutierrez, exchange officer, said. “SWAT was watching our moves, we were watching theirs. Finally we broke the ice and the teams opened up.”
Aside from SWAT tactics, the officers learned Active Aggressor Control Tactics at Kalamazoo Valley Community College Friday. Cultural events at churches in the area were also held for both Costa Rican and American officers.
The Costa Rican officers welcomed both the training and life in Kalamazoo.
“It is great to be with people in the church,” Lt. Gerald Camacho, Costa Rican commanding officer, said. “There is a lot of love and we know they’re there to help us.”
Bringing used U.S. equipment to Costa Rican officers is one of TACTICA’s goals. In May, the group had received their 275th donated bullet-proof vest.
The lack of equipment does not make the Costa Ricans’ job any easier.
“We do not have a lot of equipment, but we do have a lot of work,” Gutierrez explained. “We seized 60 tons of cocaine just last month. We get lots of guns, too. We are right in the middle of everything, as many of the boats are heading to the U.S.A. We need to work in the jungle and in the sea.”
Upon returning to Costa Rica, Rought and Camacho will teach the rest of the officers the training they received.
With the exchange ending soon, Rought knows time in his hometown is limited.
“The Costa Ricans head back September 12 and we head back the following week,” Rought said. “It’s tough because we really wanted to spend time with family in the area, but we’ve got a mission to do.”
For Gutierrez, simply being in Kalamazoo made the trip worthwhile.
“Kalamazoo is a very beautiful city,” Gutierrez said. “In Costa Rica, San Jose is the capital, and there is a lot of traffic everywhere. Here there is free space; it is like a dream.”
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