SWAT: Page 17

Readers Focus on Active Shooter Response by SWAT and Patrol

Not surprisingly, most responses dealt with the issue of how active shooters have changed the roles of both patrol and SWAT. Patrol cannot afford to wait for SWAT while innocent people are dying. Columbine was the "wake-up call" that changed everything.

Where is SWAT Heading?

Response to high-risk situations is like emergency medical response. Both require similar levels of training, equipment, and specialty.

Call for Comments

I'd like to hear your thoughts, views, and opinions about SWAT in general, and your agency's team in particular.

Happy New Year! Let's Make It Better than Last Year

Learn from the past, live in the present, look to the future. As we transition from 2007 to 2008, this wise saying rings truer than ever.

Sometimes Home for the Holidays

I understand how it feels having to work on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's, patrolling and responding to calls from people not enjoying their holidays with their families. To all who serve and protect the rest of us, we salute you.

SWAT Operations: Who’s in Charge—Part 2

Micromanaging SWAT is a challenge for many teams, and sometimes the solution is to outlast the micromanagers. I recall the frustration of one SWAT commander over his chief’s micromanaging. The solution arrived when the chief finally retired, and the SWAT commander became the new chief.

Who's In Charge?

At many agencies SWAT isn't allowed to do anything "aggressive" without direct authorization from the chief, sheriff, or field commander. Additionally, any and all SWAT tactics must be pre-approved before being implemented. To me, this sounds like a big step backward.

The Hammer and the Anvil

The recent shooting of a Dallas SWAT lieutenant on cover/containment during a drug raid serves as a reminder of the many dangers of cover/containment. Often overshadowed by its more "glamorous" entry counterpart, cover/containment is essential to successful SWAT operations, especially raids and searches.

Make Yours a Winning Team

Have you noticed how certain teams—military, police, or sports—are consistent winners, year after year? What is the secret to their longterm success? Have they discovered a secret fountain of success or some magic formula? Whatever their secrets, there are lessons the rest of us can learn from their success.

Cover and Containment—Watch Your Back

Despite its importance, cover and containment can be easily overlooked in raid/search planning. Many law enforcement officers can readily cite their own perimeter "horror stories" where perimeters turned to disaster. Here are a few examples of lessons learned from such situations.

Officer Down! Medic Up!

Officer Down: dreaded words we never hope to hear, but hear them we do—with alarming regularity in 2007 (on track to be the deadliest year for police since 1978). Recent shootings indicate SWAT is not immune from this escalating violence against police.

Critique Your Debriefings

SWAT places debriefings high on the list of learning essentials. The reason is debriefings are where we learn what went right or wrong, why, and how to correct things next time. Policing (SWAT included) is a constant learning experience, and what better way to learn than from our own experiences?

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