Former Simpsonville Chief of Police, Keith P. Grounsell, served 2 years in Haiti as the United States Contingent Commander on a US Department of State Contract assigned to the United Nations stabilization mission as the US Contingent Commander. During his time in Haiti, he was the only American and one of only two people from the United Nations (from a pool of over 30 different countries being represented), tasked to train or select some of the now deceased President and former Prime Minister’s security teams. Gounsell reflected on time in Haiti,“I had the honor to personally train former President Jovenel Moise’s Counter Assault Team (CAT) and work daily advising and training the national SWAT team.
“The national SWAT team in Haiti was originally formed as more of an anti-coup unit around 1996 and converted into a national SWAT team over the years”, according to Grounsell. Grounsell would not comment directly on the political situation in Haiti, but did state there were many good people in Haiti, but that country is plagued with poverty and corruption that is second to no other country in the world. Below are some images of one of the trainings that Keith Grounsell conducted with the CAT team while in Haiti, President Moise visiting the SWAT base and others.. ■
