A member of the TREXPO Advisory Board, Sgt. Robert "Bob" O'Brien Cleveland SWAT Ret. is the founder of the R.J. O'Brien Group Ltd., a law enforcement training and consulting service that advises and trains a number of local, state, and federal SWAT teams. O'Brien co-founded Cleveland's full-time SWAT team, and he served with that unit for 25 years. He is a former consultant to the National Tactical Officers Association and a former vice president of the Ohio Tactical Officers Association.
Ghosts of SWAT Past, Present, and Future
As 2011 comes to a close, this would be a good time to reflect on SWAT's past, present and future (apologies to Charles Dickens). While we can't accurately predict the future, we can trace the evolution of tactical units from yesteryear, understand today's challenged, and perhaps glimpse tomorrow's trend.