Articles - SWAT

Five officers from the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Police Department were instrumental in the attempted rescue of three officers ambushed inside of a house.

If you're telling yourself that a WMD attack could never happen in your town because it's too small or too remote, look around. Is there a chemical plant? What hazardous materials are rolling down the road? What kinds of toxins come through town on the rails? What's at the local Home Depot? What's at the local pool supply store?

One of the reasons that agencies are more complacent about WMD training now than immediately after 9/11 is the economics of the issue. Training costs money and pulls officers off the line. Another reason that WMD training is unpopular at many agencies is that it's not by any means a pleasant thing to do.

When faced with a barricaded suspect, SWAT officers may want to consider using heavy construction equipment to end the incident.

When a gunfight begins you need to end it, period. But many of you have been taught that your first need is to find cover. Which may be teaching you to run away from a fight instead of doing your duty, which is to "run toward the gunfire."

For policing professionals, the Tucson shooting offers another opportunity: to analyze the local public safety response to learn what worked, what could have been done better, and what takeaway lessons might help other agencies respond to a mass-casualty incident in their own city.

Within a day of Honda's holing up in the motel room, the Eureka Police Department received information of the man's whereabouts. The idea of dealing with a man desperately determined to avoid arrest and under the influence of meth was not something Eureka officers wanted to even think about it.

POLICE Magazine reviews Original S.W.A.T.'s WinX2 Boots, Benchmade's 930 Kulgera Knife, and Tactical Assault Gear's Phalanx T4 Fury Vest.

Many of the fixed blades built for law enforcement are designed for heavy-duty applications: cutting seat belts and harnesses, hacking through underbrush, breaking windows, prying open doors (not recommended), or they can even be used to puncture liquid containers. These uses will generally destroy any pocket knife you might carry.

POLICE Magazine reviews 5.11 Tactical's RUSH MOAB 10 Pack, Tactical Tailor's Hybrid Enhanced Vest, and Tru-Spec's Tru Xtreme Apparel.