Swat Teams are highly trained tactical units that are used in high risk situations such as the execution of search warrants, hostage rescue and apprehension of barricaded suspects. Swat teams utilize high tech weapons and advanced tactics to neutralize threats and apprehend violent and dangerous criminals. With the increased threat of terrorism the role of swat teams has expanded and their importance has never been greater. Swat teams are comprised of select Police Officers who are proficient with firearms, physically fit, and tactically sound.
The birth of Law Enforcement Swat Teams can be attributed to the Los Angeles Police Department during the 1970?s when they were faced with several situations where heavily armed suspects engaged Officers. The LAPD understood that certain situations called for teams of highly trained Officers who had the equipment and weapons to deal with these situations.
Swat Team Duties:
Hostage rescue
High risk search warrants
Apprehension of barricaded or heavily armed suspects
Dignitary protection
Anti-terrorism
Full Or Part Time:
Many Law Enforcement agencies now employ full time teams where the team members perform Swat duties as their regular assignment. Full time Swat teams are able to train more frequently and respond rapidly to situations making them more effective. Swat teams require the team members be able to work together effectively and this is achieved by training and repetition. An advantage of full time team?s is that team members become extremely proficient with their weapon and tactics. Team members have to gel and work together as a cohesive unit and this is accomplished by training, training, and more training.
Part time Swat teams are still effective and widely used throughout the United States. Part time teams use Officers who have other full time assignments and they respond to Swat situations when called. Part time team are not able to train as often as full time teams but they can be highly effective with quality training and select team members.
Full Time Team Advantages:
More frequent training
proficient with firearms
Rapid response to swat situations
Tactics & team movement become 2nd nature
The Team:
Swat teams are like football teams in that success hinges on every member of the team performing his/her assignment or task. A team is a group of individuals working together to accomplish an objective. The thing that makes Swat teams lethal is that the employ a group of Officers who are highly trained and effective with weapons and tactics.
Team Members:
What type of Officer is a good candidate to become a member of a Swat team? Someone who is physically fit, mentally tough, proficient with firearms, tactically sound, cool under pressure, patient, follows orders, & plays well with others. Obviously every agency has it?s own criteria for selecting members for their Swat or Tactical teams.
Physical fitness is a key ingredient for a Swat team prospect because Swat operations involve heavy doses of physical exertion. Swat operations may include jumping over fences, climbing walls and ladders, lifting team members, carrying gear and weapons, running and sprinting for short and long distances.
Mental Toughness is important for the Swat Officer because he/she may have to work through pain, fatigue, and stress for an extended period of time to accomplish an objective.
Firearms proficiency is important because Swat teams utilize a vast array of weapons to accomplish their tasks. Swat situations usually involve heavily armed suspects who are trying to evade capture or kill people.
Swat Team Try-outs:
Most agencies hold try-outs for Officers who want to become a member of the Team. The selection process is designed to ascertain which Officers have the required skills to complete an intense Swat school. Swat tryouts vary from agency to agency but many consist of a 1-2 mile run, completion of a military style obstacle course, firearms qualification, push up/sit ups/pull ups, and and oral interview.
Basic Swat School:
Once the try-out is complete the Swat team will select recruits to attend a basic Swat school where basic Swat principles will be taught. Many basic Swat schools are set up and designed to be like mini boot camps where the recruits will be pushed physically and mentally. Many Swat recruits have dropped or failed out because they were not prepared physically for the school. Officers preparing to go through a basic Swat school should be able to run 2-3 miles without effort, do push up/sit ups with ease, and have some upper body strength.
The basic Swat recruit will be introduced to the firearms and equipment commonly used by Swat Officers. The recruits will also be taught team movement and other tactics that make the Swat team so effective. The basic Swat school lays the foundation for the recruit who will receive advanced training when they return to their respective Swat teams.
Team Assignments & Positions
The Swat Commander runs the team and makes is the decision maker on Swat operations. Assistant Commanders help the Swat Commander with the day to day operations of the team. Team Leaders are in charge of individual teams consisting of a varying number of team members. Individual teams might be Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc. Assistant Team Leaders help the Team Leader with the supervision of their individual teams. Team members are assigned to different teams and they may or may not be given a permanent job or assignment on the team. Some teams may assign a member as the ram, sub gun, shield, point, distraction device, etc. Tactics
What makes Swat teams so effective and lethal are the tactics they utilize to accomplish their objectives. Tactics give the Swat team a decided advantage over the suspects that they encounter. Tactics are the specific things done to accomplish a task. Everything the Swat Officer does can be considered a tactic. T
he way the team approaches a house during a search warrant is a tactic as well as the way the team flows through the house once the door is breached. Think of any possible action that can be taken by a Swat team or Swat Officer and there will be tactics for those tasks. Tactics are always changing and being refined to deal with new threats.
Swat Teams & The Threat Of Terrorism
Swat teams have become even more important to our society due to the real threat of terrorism to our homeland. Swat teams will now play an expanded and critical role in the protection of infrastructure and citizens. Civilian Swat teams may be utilized for the apprehension of suspects, execution of search warrants, and dignitary protection.
Author is a current Police Officer with 18 years of experience & webmaster at http://www.monsterswatmonkey.com which is a Law Enforcement Community Site.