SWAT: Page 19

Police Shootouts: How Soon We Forget

Every day, police throughout America respond to dangerous situations that often turn into armed, deadly confrontations. When circumstances and time allow, police hold things down until SWAT arrives and takes over. At least that's the plan, but we all know about plans.

The Nightmare Scenario: SWAT vs. Bad Cops

Bad cops, represent a particularly deadly threat to officers who respond to, or investigate, their crimes. I can’t think of many nightmare scenarios worse than confronting an armed, trained good guy gone bad, who knows our tactics.

The SWAT Approach to Searches and Raids

Basic search and raid principles remain essentially unchanged since Sun Tzu wrote “The Art of War” more than 2,000 years ago. Sir Robert Peel’s London Bobbies conducted searches and raids for criminals in the 1800s about the same way we do them now. And today, basic “hammer and anvil” (entry and containment) principles are universal.
There have been some refinements, however. SWAT has created its own unique strategies and tactics, which vary among teams.

Pro Football and SWAT: Getting Back to the Basics

On the surface, it would seem that pro football teams and SWAT teams are totally unrelated. After all, NFL football is only a game, and its players are among the highest paid people in America. Whereas pay is definitely not the primary reason that any of us chose law enforcement as our profession, and our life and death operations in SWAT are by no means a game.
However, underneath the surface and beyond these differences, pro football and SWAT share very similar traits. What follows is a

Searches and Raids in the Days Before SWAT

Four decades ago in the days before SWAT, most searches and raids were conducted by patrol officers or detectives without special training or equipment. These men went into battle almost naked and unarmed when you compare their equipment to that of today’s SWAT officer.

It's Our Duty to Study and Preserve SWAT History

Compared to military history's thousands of years, law enforcement's 200 years and SWAT's 40 years are a mere blink of the eye in time. Perhaps this accounts for the stark contrast between how the military and police view their respective histories.

How Long Should You Stay in SWAT?

There is an ongoing debate about how long anyone should stay in SWAT. There are two schools of thought. One view is officers should stay in SWAT as long as they are qualified, pass the requirements, and want to remain a team member. The other view is officers should only stay in SWAT for a set amount of time (five years), and then rotate out. Both schools of thought have very different reasons for their beliefs.

Picking the Right Person for the Job

You are a SWAT team commander/leader, and you have a dilemma. You have a major mission coming up soon, and you need to pick the right people for the right jobs. For many SWAT commanders, this doesn't present any problem. Every member of their teams is up to speed—trained, experienced, reliable, and trusted.

Lessons from Virginia Tech

"When you aren't practicing somewhere someone is and, when you meet him, he will win." This thought-provoking saying was passed along to me many years ago by Terry Thorpe, a warrior friend who lost his courageous final battle with Agent Orange.

Officer Ambushed! Officer Down!

This Memorial Day was an especially reflective one for me, with another tragic police death only three days before on May 25.

Thoughts on SWAT

Welcome to Police Magazine’s weekly online SWAT column. This column will discuss SWAT/Tactical issues facing law enforcement today.

Full-Time vs. Part-Time SWAT

There is a quiet debate in SWAT that starts with the question: Which team is the “best?” Followed by: Which teams are “better.” The only time SWAT teams compete against each other is during SWAT competitions for “bragging rights.” And while such competitions are important, SWAT’s real opponents are the bad guys. That’s the competition you can’t afford to lose.

Page 19 of 20