Operational friendly fire erupts suddenly without warning, and once bullets start flying, it's too late. In the old days, before we were trained with "finger OFF the trigger" unless you're shooting, virtually all LEOs had their finger ON the trigger when they had their guns out.
May 20, 2011
As with accidental training deaths, LE needs to recognize that "friendly fire" tragedies are both needless and preventable. And the only acceptable goal in any/all accidental police deaths is their total elimination.
April 29, 2011
I'd say every SWAT team trains extensively on suspect searches with special emphasis on the terrain they're dealing with. Regardless of terrain type, every SWAT team must be adept at searching buildings and outdoor terrain.
December 13, 2010
As a result of dramatically shrinking tax revenues, the public sector is now being forced to make unprecedented cuts across the board. I'm a strong advocate of SWAT being capable and versatile enough to handle a wide variety of assignments. SWAT teams need to stay active as their agencies tactical go-to specialists.
November 29, 2010
From its inception, SWAT has always recognized the importance of professionalism through training and networking — the twin concepts that anchor the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA).
October 20, 2010
Attendees of the NTOA conference starting Sunday have the rare privilege to be in the presence of two living legends of SWAT. Ron McCarthy and John Kolman made SWAT the respected "profession within a profession" that it is today.
September 22, 2010
SWAT is a special breed of dedicated volunteers who are tactically oriented, knowledgeable, trained, equipped, armed, and capable of handling any and all high-risk missions they're tasked with. Associations allow these like-minded individuals to share best practices as well as each other's company.
October 20, 2009
In Columbine’s wake, the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) developed the rapid deployment first-responder team tactic currently in use throughout the nation. But in many, if not most, departments, officers from the SWAT team conduct the active shooter training program.
June 11, 2008