CLAY COUNTY – For the past 25 years, Sgt. Steve Parker has been on more Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) calls than he can remember. 

No two have been alike. Most work out with positive results, where the subject can get the help they need before being reunited with their families, and SWAT members go home to their families. 

Sometimes, the results aren’t as pleasant. It’s the pittance cops pay, especially those who answer high-risk calls. 

It’s everything Parker loves about his job with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. 

“I've been connected to the SWAT team for going on, what, 25 years now,” he said. “It's hard on your body. It's hard on your family. It definitely will take a toll on you, but it's the drive and the willingness to be able to want to do that particular discipline. 

“I consider myself very lucky. I think I'm probably the luckiest guy at the sheriff's office.” 

There are two schools of thought on how long SWAT team members should remain on rotation. Some agencies only allow deputies to be part of the squad for about five years to avoid being “burned out.” Others, like CCSO, allow deputies to remain on the force if they are qualified, want to be a member and pass the requirements. 

Parker said it starts with a challenging requisite. 

“The first requirement to be in a good SWAT, my big request, is you have to be a good deputy sheriff first,” Parker said. “You have to have experience. You have to be able to work the road, deal with crises already on the road.” 

Sheriff Michelle Cook said Sgt. Parker is a top cop with the agency. His knowledge is invaluable, and his ability to pass his training to others is beneficial since more than half of her deputies have less than five years of experience. 

“(He is) an absolute professional who loves his family, his job and our community,” she said. “Clay County is a better and safer place because of Sgt. Steve Parker.” 

Parker is the SWAT Team Commander with the agency’s Warrants and Fugitive Task Force. He trains other deputies in active shooters, fugitive apprehensions, hostage incidents and drug raids. He’d like to see the sheriff’s office, and particularly the SWAT team, expand with new vitality. 

He has the passion and willingness to share his knowledge with anyone who has the same enthusiasm to make a difference. It’s not an easy journey. He said nothing worthwhile is easy. But the reward is lasting and enriching. 

“I am never surprised at what I see,” Parker said. “Each part of my job as a training coordinator is to provide different venues and different scenarios for my guys. But there's so many things that go on in the world today and in Clay County. 

“There's so many different disciplines that are involved in SWAT. So, you have your sniper element. You have a breaching element, too, which are specialty within the specialty team on SWAT. These guys are your main operators. Their main disciplines are learning how to do deliberate, learning how to do dynamic tactics and learning how to do rescue tactics. 

“So, to become proficient in all those tactics, in and all the training they do, it takes a good 10-year deputy to be very, very confident in what they do as far as SWAT goes.” 

Parker’s goal is to get more deputies on the road and in his SWAT unit. The number of residents has tripled since Parker started with CCSO 25 years ago, so he wants to keep pace with growth. 

“Hopefully, I'll be able to get some good, solid employees to come work for the sheriff,” he said. “And then hopefully those deputies will want to progress in the tactical field. They can come see me and my guys, and we'll put them in that right direction.”