An area SWAT team is working right here in the Ohio Valley to keep our communities safe.

The Southeast Ohio Regional SWAT Team said their mission is simple, working together to keep their communities safe.

“There's a saying even the police call 911 so we have to be at a level that's more than the average police officer," trainer John Milam said.

The team has officers from Martins Ferry, Bellaire, Bridgeport and Cambridge and they joined forces to combat drugs and emergency situations in the area.

They use large machine guns and work in heavy gear, but said they hope they are never forced into using it.

The team trains in Cambridge and since January they have already executed five search warrants, one of which put a couple in Bellaire behind bars for trafficking drugs near a school.

-Amy Post, NEWS9