By Lia Russell
Virginian-Pilot
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — When asked what her mother does for a living, 5-year-old Madison Watson replies, “Mommy puts people in jail and she kicks their butts.”
That’s a pretty accurate description.
Madison’s mom, Special Victims’ Unit Detective Melissa Ottaviano, 29, is the first and only female SWAT member and sniper on the Portsmouth Police Department.
Ottaviano must be ready to deploy within 30 minutes with about 40 pounds of tactical gear, including a sniper rifle, carbine, “heavy” ballistic vest and ammo.
As a sniper, she backs up team members in high-risk situations that could involve hostages, armed standoffs or the capture of dangerous suspects.
She’s an expert at finding cover and can shoot a quarter from 100 yards.
Sometimes, she’s part of a team that makes adrenaline-fueled entries into buildings to confront armed offenders.
A mother of two and former Coast Guard sailor, Ottaviano dreamed of being a police officer since she was 9 years old and watched “Charlie’s Angels” on TV.
Her ambition was realized in 2005, when she completed police academy training and became one of only 24 women on the Police Department’s 229-member force.
“One of my goals when I got cut loose from field training was to join SWAT,” Ottaviano said. So she jumped at the chance to join the elite team a year later.
Ottaviano had to pass stringent physical, written and oral exams aimed at evaluating her endurance and professional knowledge.
“Candidates are looked at by the SWAT supervisor and the captain,” detective Jan Westerbeck, police spokeswoman, said. “They take into consideration their personality, their relationships with co-workers and their families, how they deal with citizens and stressful situations.”
Candidates must complete an arduous two-week training before they can join the 16-member unit.
Fifteen-hour days included running several miles on sloped terrain wearing a gas mask, various assault scenarios - such as entering a bus, an airplane and buildings - and shooting in different settings.
“We got very little sleep,” Ottaviano said. “You have to learn how to do the job when you’re fatigued or mentally exhausted.”
A few co-workers remarked openly that SWAT was “no place for a woman.” Some didn’t expect her to pass.
Ottaviano said she “confused” a lot of people when she did.
Ottaviano found more than a vocation in SWAT - she also met her fiance, Robert “Tony” Murray, a fellow sniper.
Ottaviano, a self-described tomboy who stays fit through a rigorous cycling regimen, admits an infatuation with firearms.
“I’m fascinated by the tactical side of policing,” she said. “I do like guns, and I like big guns.”
Friends and co-workers weren’t surprised when Ottaviano decided to pursue sniper training in 2007.
Ottaviano described the two-week course, conducted at Blackwater through the Hathcock Sniper School, as “more exhausting than SWAT school.” She was the sole female in a group of 15.
“The instructor looked at me the first day and asked, ‘are you sure you’re in the right place?’ ” Ottaviano said. “I think I was the first woman to go through their training in about 20 years.”
Sniper training emphasizes the importance of a single shot reaching a target in a single moment. Snipers usually don’t get second chances. The psychological pressure is as great as the physical.
During training, Ottaviano learned camouflage techniques and the art of stealth.
Besides shooting, shooting and more shooting, Ottaviano concealed herself in the woods for hours while trainers searched for her.
“Never found me,” she said. “They had to call me out.”
Her practice targets, which she saves, attest to her skill. Where eyes used to be on paper heads, only gaping black holes remain.
Deploying with SWAT is “an adrenaline rush,” Ottaviano said. “You never know what you’re going to find when you get to a scene.”
She said one of her most tense situations occurred Feb. 5 when, police said, a man threatened to detonate a device inside the London Boulevard Rite Aid. Ottaviano covered the rear of the building.
“There was FBI, state police, fire marshals - everybody out there,” she said. “When I heard ‘armed subject with a bomb’ over my radio - that was pretty intense.”
The standoff ended without violence and state police destroyed the device .
“I’ve never had to shoot my sniper rifle on a deployment,” Ottaviano said. “Most snipers in the area will tell you the same. In each situation you hope for the best, but you plan for the worst.”
Copyright 2009 Virginian-Pilot