LOS ANGELES, March 29 (UPI) -- A veteran female Los Angeles police officer has been accepted into the SWAT training program, putting her on track to be the first woman in the elite unit.
An internal Los Angeles Police Department e-mail indicated that Jennifer Grasso was one of 13 officers accepted into the 12-week course, which begins Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. There are six openings in the 60-member SWAT team, and the department could either eliminate some of the candidates during training or place some on a waiting list.
The department recently revised the physical tests required for applicants for Special Weapons and Tactics Team. The change was made partly because Grasso and male candidates were injured running an obstacle course at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
While some officers question the new tests, no one seems to doubt Grasso's ability, the Times said.
"Physically, she's a dynamo and tactically she's very solid," a member of the SWAT team said. "She'd be a good selection."
