Special Weapons and Tactics Teams

In the late 1960s, local law enforcement across the nation experienced situations they had never encountered before. There were incidents of massive civil unrest and riots associated with the civil rights movement. There were large-scale disturbances and mass demonstrations against the Vietnam War. There were also incidents involving snipers that killed both civilians and officers alike. Most of these incidents occurred in large urban environments. The [Page 440]traditional police officers working in patrol assignments were neither trained nor equipped to respond to such incidents.

Swat Team members, armed with advanced weaponry, search for a possible sniper near an elementary school in Maryland, the site of several shootings by the “Beltway Snipers.” One response to violent crime is the development of weapons that can deal more effectively with offenders.

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Law enforcement agencies carefully critiqued these incidents and determined that they needed a new approach to address the turmoil. As a result, many large agencies formed special elite units, equipped with special weapons and trained in a variety of tactics. These Special Weapons and Tactics teams (SWAT) were first used by local law enforcement agencies in southern California. When most of these teams were first formed, it was a voluntary assignment, and the units were generally comprised of officers who had prior military experience. SWAT was not a full-time position, but an assignment in addition to an officer's regular assignment. In these early years, many officers supplied their own weapons and ammunition. Many of the weapons used in these units were rifles that had been confiscated from those involved in illegal activity. Often, their mission was not clearly defined beyond responding to situations that regular patrol officers were unable to handle.

The goal of SWAT is to handle emergency situations or planned tactical operations without the loss of life to citizens, suspects, or officers. Today, most large urban local law enforcement agencies have a SWAT team or access to one. Some agencies, such as the Los Angeles Police Department, have officers assigned full-time to a SWAT team. However, budget constraints, training needs, and personnel requirements do not allow all agencies to do that. Many agencies have officers assigned to a SWAT team as a corollary duty in addition to their primary assignment. Others do not have a SWAT team, but instead have [Page 441]agreements with larger agencies to provide the service if needed.

SWAT teams comprise highly dedicated officers who are well trained in tactics and equipped with a wide array of weaponry. Teams usually train together 2 days per month. The training covers tactics such as rappelling, team movements, and the use of chemical agents. They train extensively in the use of firearms, including handguns, shotguns, sniper rifles, and full and semiautomatic rifles. Physical conditioning and weaponless defense tactics are also stressed in the training. Members maintain top physical conditioning to meet rigorous standards. The teams that engage in quality training on a regular basis have proven to be highly effective in responding to emergency situations as well as planned tactical operations.

SWAT teams respond to situations that involve snipers, barricaded armed subjects, hostage situations, high-risk search warrants, VIP security, and protection of police and fire department personnel involved in riots or mobs. These teams may also respond to other situations that require a specialized tactical response. Oftentimes a “crisis negotiation team,” made up of specially trained personnel, respond to emergency situations with the SWAT team. They report to the SWAT operations commander and are employed in the hope of bringing a positive resolution to the situation. Crisis negotiators are well versed in SWAT maneuvers but are not involved in the tactical operation.

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