SAINT LOUIS – Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital received a surprise visit from their favorite superheroes.
On Sept. 30, 2025, members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s SWAT team rappelled down the 12-story hospital building while dressed as superheroes. Not only did this serve as great mission-critical training for the officers, but it also brought joy to the patients and families at St. Louis Children’s.
“We’re so thankful that our SWAT team, along with firefighters in the fire department, are able to save the day of so many children,” said Mitch McCoy, Director of Public Affairs and Information with the police department. “There’s just a lot of happy kids today.”
The police officers teamed up with the St. Louis Fire Department and the St. Louis Police Foundation to conceptualize the training drills at Children’s. McCoy expressed the police department’s appreciation for the many people who came together to make this possible, including Children’s staff members.
He noted that the SWAT team completed necessary training while also supporting kids and families.
“This is an opportunity for our SWAT team. They’re able to do mission-critical training and they’re able to do hostage rescue training while at the same time putting a smile on so many deserving children,” he explained. “Our SWAT team is one of our most tactically trained in the department because of their high-risk missions, but today, they get to wear a different type of uniform.”
This was the first time that the police department has teamed up with Children’s to complete their training drills while dressed as superheroes, but it likely won’t be the last. McCoy said they are already talking about continuing these yearly trainings with Children’s going forward.
He shared that the best part of the day was watching the kids and their families line the windows, all with huge smiles on their faces.
“They’ve had a tough day, and they’re getting the treatment that they need,” he added. “But our teams, both St. Louis Fire and St. Louis Police, are trying to make their days a little bit easier.”
