Supercop, Dillon Dennis 

Beneath overcast skies on April 23, Sergeant Dillon Dennis sprinted between shooting stations, climbed walls, crawled through obstacles, and transitioned between pistol and rifle drills for 20 straight minutes, all while trying to stay accurate under pressure. 

By the end of the Oklahoma State SWAT Competition’s Supercop event, the Edmond officer had earned first place in the individual category. “This competition is a chance to test your skills and test all the work you’ve been putting in,” Dennis said. “Our job requires us to respond well under pressure, so it’s a chance to test that and perform.” 

The statewide SWAT competition, now in its nearly two-decade run, brings tactical teams from across Oklahoma together to compete in events that challenge marksmanship, endurance, teamwork, and decision-making under stress. 

This year, the Edmond Police Department’s SWAT team earned third place overall, with top finishes in multiple categories, including first place in the team obstacle course and second place in both the officer rescue and team pistol competitions. 

For Dennis, though, the individual Supercop event may have been the toughest challenge of all. The event combined repeated running intervals with shooting drills, pull-ups, obstacle climbing, and low crawls, all while competitors raced against the clock to complete as many successful rounds as possible in 20 minutes. 

“You’d run roughly 80 yards to a shooting line, shoot pistol rounds, then go through obstacles, climb over beams, go over a 15-foot wall, low crawl, do pull-ups, run again, and transition to rifle shots,” Dennis explained. “You just switch back and forth between pistol and rifle the whole time.” 

Hits counted more than misses, rewarding accuracy under fatigue. “Since only hits count, you’re just trying to get as many rounds in as you can. The more times around the track, the more chances you get,” he explained. “I was able to get 10 rounds in, which ended up being enough.” 

Dennis has been with the Edmond Police Department for nearly 11 years and joined the department’s SWAT team in 2017 after completing a rigorous selection process that included firearms qualifications, physical testing, scenarios, and oral boards. 

“Law enforcement becomes a brotherhood,” Dennis said. “On a specialized team, those bonds grow even stronger. You have to trust them, and they have to trust you. Although I won the individual competition, it was a team effort,” he said. “Having the guys putting our training in, pushing me, and wanting to represent my teammates well, none of us could do it by ourselves.” 

Outside of the badge and competitions, Dennis says his greatest motivation is much simpler: his family. He says his wife and two young daughters help drive both his work ethic and desire to keep improving. 

For young people considering a career in law enforcement someday, he encourages them to think beyond individual achievement. “Think about the team you want to be a part of,” he said. “Think about how you can challenge yourself and start developing that now.” 

To learn more, go to edmondok.gov/549/police-department.