Editing SWAT

{{Short description|American law enforcement unit}}
{{Other uses}}
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[[File:CBP Office of Field Operations Training with Air and Marine Operations - 43847567720.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]] SWAT officers preparing for a [[training exercise]]]]
[[File:FBI Hostage Rescue training from helicopter.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] [[FBI Special Weapons and Tactics Teams|SWAT]] agents [[fast-roping]] from a helicopter during training near [[downtown Los Angeles]]]]
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{{Law enforcement in the United States}}

A '''SWAT''' (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a [[police tactical unit]] within the [[United States]], though the term has also been used by multiple other nations.

SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to resolve "high-risk situations", often those regular police units are not trained or equipped to handle, such as [[shootout]]s, [[Police standoff|standoffs]], [[Police raid|raids]], [[hostage-taking]]s, and [[terrorism]]. SWAT units are equipped with specialized weapons and equipment not normally issued to regular police units, such as [[automatic firearm]]s, high-caliber [[sniper rifle]]s, [[stun grenade]]s, [[body armor]], [[ballistic shield]]s, [[night-vision device]]s, and [[SWAT vehicle|armored vehicle]]s, among others. SWAT units are often trained in special tactics such as [[close-quarters combat]], [[door breaching]], [[crisis negotiation]], and [[de-escalation]].

The first SWAT units were formed in the 1960s to handle [[riot control]] and violent confrontations with criminals. The number and usage of SWAT units increased in the 1980s during the [[War on Drugs]] and the 1990s following incidents such as the [[North Hollywood shootout]] and [[Columbine High School massacre]], with further increases in the 2000s for [[counterterrorism]] interests in the aftermath of the [[September 11 attacks]]. In the United States by 2005, SWAT teams were deployed 50,000 times every year, almost 80% of the time to serve [[search warrant]]s, most often for [[narcotic]]s. By 2015, the number of annual SWAT deployments had increased to nearly 80,000 times a year.<ref name="swat_week_2015">{{cite web |last1=Kristian |first1=Bonnie |title=The troubling rise of SWAT teams |url=https://theweek.com/articles/531458/troubling-rise-swat-teams |website=The Week |date=January 19, 2015 |publisher=Dennis Publishing Limited 2021 |access-date=19 October 2021 |ref=week_2015}}</ref> Despite their heightened involvement in high-risk scenarios, research on their use of force has shown varied results. A study by professor Jimmy J. Williams and professor David Westall found that there wasn't a significant difference in the frequency of use of force between SWAT and non-SWAT officers when responding to similar situations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Williams |first1=Jimmy |last2=Westall |first2=David |date=October 2003 |title=SWAT and non-SWAT police officers and the use of force |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047235203000515 |journal=Journal of Criminal Justice |volume=31 |issue=5 |pages=469–474 |doi=10.1016/S0047-2352(03)00051-5 |via=Science Direct|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Definition ==
The United States National Tactical Officers Association's definition of SWAT is:

<blockquote>'''SWAT''': A designated law enforcement team whose members are recruited, selected, trained, equipped and assigned to resolve critical incidents involving a threat to public safety which would otherwise exceed the capabilities of traditional law enforcement first responders and/or investigative units.<ref name="NTOAstandard">{{cite web
| title      = Tactical Response and Operations Standard for Law Enforcement Agencies
| url        = http://ntoa.org/pdf/swatstandards.pdf
| website    = National Tactical Officers Association
| access-date = 2017-05-25
| date       = September 2015
}}</ref></blockquote>

== History ==
=== Riots and political conflicts of the 1960s ===
<!-- Please don't enter any material without citations, sources, or references. We have a lot of anonymous editors adding apparent original research to the text. -->
[[File:Seal of LAPD Special Weapons and Tactics.svg|thumb|The [[LAPD Metropolitan Division#D Platoon (SWAT)|LAPD Metropolitan Division's "D" Platoon]] is one of the world's most prominent SWAT units and was the second SWAT team established in the United States, after that of the [[Philadelphia Police Department]] in 1964.<ref name="Mitchel P. Roth 2001, p. 333">Mitchel P. Roth & James Stuart Olson, ''Historical Dictionary of Law Enforcement'', Westport, Ct: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001, p. 333 and; John S. Dempsey & Linda S. Forst, ''An Introduction to Policing'', Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning, 2011, p. 276.</ref>]]

According to the ''Historical Dictionary of Law Enforcement'', the term "SWAT" was used as an acronym for the "Special Weapons and Tactics" established as a 100-man specialized unit in 1964 by the [[Philadelphia Police Department]] in response to an alarming increase in [[bank robbery|bank robberies]]. The purpose of this unit was to react quickly and decisively to bank robberies while they were in progress, using a large number of specially trained officers who had a great amount of firepower at their disposal. The tactic worked and was used to resolve other types of incidents involving heavily armed criminals.<ref name="Mitchel P. Roth 2001, p. 333" /><ref>{{cite book
| title      = Crime and Punishment: A History of the Criminal Justice System
| author     = Mitchel P. Roth
| pages      = 283
| date       = June 2, 2010
| publisher  = Cengage Learning; 2 edition
}}</ref> The [[Los Angeles Police Department]] (LAPD) [[LAPD Metropolitan Division#History of LAPD SWAT|Special Weapons and Tactics]] was established in 1967.<ref>{{cite web |title=S.W.A.T. |url=http://www.lapdonline.org/metropolitan_division/content_basic_view/848 |website=Los Angeles Police Department |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221083432/http://www.lapdonline.org/metropolitan_division/content_basic_view/848 |archive-date=21 February 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> LAPD inspector [[Daryl Gates]] envisioned the "SWAT" acronym to be "Special Weapons Attack Team" but this was not accepted by deputy chief [[Edward M. Davis]] who instead approved Special Weapons and Tactics.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gates |first1=Daryl F. |last2=Shah|first2=Diane K. |title=Chief : my life in the L.A.P.D. |date=1992 |publisher=Bantam Books |location=New York |isbn=055307301X |page=114}}</ref> 

The LAPD promoted what became known as SWAT teams for a variety of reasons. After the racially-charged [[Watts riots]] in [[Los Angeles]] in August 1965, the LAPD began considering tactics it could use when faced with urban unrest, rioting, or widespread violence. Daryl Gates, who led the LAPD response to the riots, would later write that police at the time did not face a single mob, but rather "people attacking from all directions".<ref name=warriorcop>{{cite book| last1= Balko| first1= Radley| title= Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces| date= 2013| publisher= PublicAffairs| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vTkTTIF1IpUC| access-date = November 30, 2014| isbn = 9781610392129}}</ref> [[New York University]] professor [[Christian Parenti]] has written that SWAT teams were originally conceived of as an "urban [[counterinsurgency]] bulwark".<ref name=parenti>{{cite book
| last1     = Parenti
| first1     = Christian
| title     = Lockdown America: Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis
| date     = 2000
| publisher     = Verso
| isbn     = 978-1-85984-303-1
| url-access     = registration
| url     = https://archive.org/details/lockdownamericap00pare
}}</ref>{{rp|112}}

Another reason for the creation of SWAT teams was the fear of lone or barricaded gunmen who might outperform police in a shootout, as happened in Austin with [[Charles Whitman]].<ref name=warriorcop />

After the LAPD's establishment of its own SWAT team, many [[law enforcement in the United States|law enforcement agencies in United States]] established their own specialized units under various names. Gates explained in his autobiography ''[[Chief: My Life in the LAPD]]'' that he neither developed SWAT tactics nor the associated and often distinctive equipment; but that he supported the underlying concept, tried to empower his people to develop it, and generally lent them moral support.<ref name="SWAT01" /><ref>{{cite web
| url        = http://www.lapdonline.org/metropolitan_division/content_basic_view/849
| title      = Development of SWAT
| access-date = June 19, 2006
| publisher  = Los Angeles Police Department
}}</ref>

SWAT-type operations were conducted north of Los Angeles in the farming community of [[Delano, California]] on the border between [[Kern County, California|Kern]] and [[Tulare County, California|Tulare]] Counties in the [[San Joaquin Valley]]. At the time, the [[United Farm Workers]] union led by [[César Chavez]] was staging [[Delano grape strike|numerous protests]] in Delano in a strike that would last over five years from 1965 to 1970.<ref name=warriorcop /> Though the strike never turned violent, the [[Delano Police Department]] responded by forming ad-hoc SWAT-type units involving crowd and riot control, sniper skills, and surveillance.<ref name=warriorcop /> Television news stations and print media carried live and delayed reportage of these events across the United States. Personnel from the LAPD, having seen these broadcasts, contacted Delano and inquired about the program. One officer then obtained permission to observe the Delano Police Department's special weapons and tactics units in action, and afterwards, he took what he had learned back to Los Angeles, where his knowledge was used and expanded on to form the LAPD's own first SWAT unit.

[[John Nelson (police officer)|John Nelson]] was the officer who conceived the idea to form a specially trained and equipped unit in the LAPD, intended to respond to and manage critical situations involving shootings while minimizing police casualties. Inspector Gates approved this idea, and he formed a small select group of volunteer officers. This first SWAT unit initially consisted of fifteen teams of four men each, making a total staff of sixty. These officers were given special status and benefits, and were required to attend special monthly training sessions. The unit also served as a security unit for police facilities during civil unrest. The [[LAPD Metropolitan Division#D Platoon (SWAT)|LAPD SWAT]] units were organized as "D Platoon" in the Metro division.<ref name="SWAT01">{{cite web
| url        = http://www.lapdonline.org/metropolitan_division/content_basic_view/849
| title      = Development of SWAT
| publisher  = Los Angeles Police Department
| access-date = June 19, 2006
}}</ref>

Early police powers and tactics used by SWAT teams were aided by legislation passed in 1967–68 with the help of [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[United States House of Representatives|House representative]] [[Donald Santarelli]]. The legislation was promoted within the context of fears over the [[civil rights movement]], [[mass racial violence in the United States|race riots]], the [[Black Panther Party]], and the emerging [[War on drugs|War on Drugs]].<ref name=warriorcop />

The first significant deployment of the LAPD SWAT was on December&nbsp;9, 1969, when an attempt by the LAPD to serve arrest warrants against the Black Panthers led to a four-hour standoff at their Los Angeles headquarters at 41st and Central, during which over 5,000 rounds were exchanged between police and the Panthers. During the shootout, Daryl Gates called the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], requesting and receiving permission to use a [[grenade launcher]]; however, it was never actually used. The Panthers eventually surrendered, with four Panthers and four officers being injured. All six arrested Panthers were acquitted of the most serious charges brought against them, including conspiracy to murder police officers, because it was ruled that they acted in self-defense.<ref name=warriorcop />

By 1974, there was a general acceptance of SWAT as a police resource in Los Angeles.

==== 1974 Symbionese Liberation Army shootout ====
On the afternoon of May 17, 1974, elements of the [[Symbionese Liberation Army]] (SLA), a group of heavily armed [[left-wing politics|left-wing]] [[Left-wing terrorism|guerrillas]], barricaded themselves in a residence on East 54th Street at Compton Avenue in Los Angeles. Coverage of the siege was broadcast to millions via television and radio and featured in the world press for days afterwards. SWAT teams engaged in a several-hour gun battle with the SLA; no police were wounded, but the six SLA members died in the conflict, which ended when the house caught fire and burned to the ground.

By the time of the SLA shootout, SWAT teams had reorganized into six 10-man teams, each team being divided further into two five-man units, called elements. An element consisted of an element leader, two assaulters, a scout, and a rear-guard. The normal complement of weapons was a sniper rifle (a [[.243]]-caliber [[bolt action|bolt-action]], based on the ordnance expended by officers at the shootout), two [[.223]]-caliber semi-automatic rifles, and two shotguns. SWAT officers also carried their service revolvers in shoulder holsters. Standard gear included a [[first aid kit]], gloves, and a [[military gas mask]]. At a time when officers were usually issued six-shot revolvers and shotguns, it was a significant change to have police armed with semi-automatic rifles. The encounter with the heavily armed Symbionese Liberation Army, however, sparked a trend towards SWAT teams being issued [[Bulletproof vest|body armor]] and automatic weapons of various types.

A report issued by the LAPD after the SLA shootout offers one of the few firsthand accounts by the department regarding SWAT history, operations, and organization. On page 100 of the report, the department cites four trends which prompted the development of SWAT. These included riots such as the [[Watts riots]], which in the 1960s forced the LAPD and other police departments into tactical situations for which they were ill-prepared; the emergence of snipers as a challenge to civil order; political assassinations; and the threat of urban [[guerrilla warfare]] by militant groups. "The unpredictability of the sniper and his anticipation of normal police response increase the chances of death or injury to officers. To commit conventionally trained officers to a confrontation with a guerrilla-trained militant group would likely result in a high number of casualties among the officers and the escape of the guerrillas." To deal with these under conditions of urban violence, the LAPD formed SWAT, notes the report. The report states on page 109, "The purpose of SWAT is to provide protection, support, security, firepower, and rescue to police operations in high personal risk situations where specialized tactics are necessary to minimize casualties."<ref name="SWAT02">{{cite web
| url         = http://www.courttv.com/archive/trials/soliah/docs/lapdreport.pdf
| title       = Report following the SLA Shoot-out (PDF)
| publisher   = Los Angeles Police Department
| access-date  = July 4, 2008
| url-status     = dead
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120226115805/http://www.trutv.com/newname.html
| archive-date = February 26, 2012
}}</ref>

=== The War on Drugs: 1980s and 1990s ===
[[File:Members of the 60th Security Police Squadron's Base Swat Team.jpg|thumb|[[USAF Security Forces]] SWAT officers during a training exercise at [[Travis Air Force Base]] in 1995]]
In 1981 [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] passed the Military Cooperation with Law Enforcement Act, giving police access to military intelligence, infrastructure, and weaponry in the fight against drugs. [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] subsequently declared drugs to be a threat to U.S. national security.<ref name="alexander" />{{rp|76–77}} In 1988 the Reagan administration encouraged Congress to create the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Program. The program modified existing federal aid structures to local police, making it easier to transfer money and equipment to fight the War on Drugs. Police forces also received increased assistance from the [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]]. The money resulted in the creation of many narcotics task forces, and SWAT teams became an important part of these forces.<ref name="alexander">{{cite book
| last1     = Alexander
| first1    = Michelle
| title     = The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
| date      = 2013
| publisher = The New Press
| isbn      = 978-1-59558-819-7
| title-link = The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
}}</ref>{{rp|73–75}}

In 1972, paramilitary police units launched a few hundred drug raids annually within the United States. In the early 1980s, SWAT drug raid numbers increased to 3000 annually, and by 1996, 30,000 raids annually.<ref name="alexander" />{{rp|73–75}} During the 1990s, according to ''[[The Capital Times]]'' in [[Madison, Wisconsin]], weapons donations from the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] greatly bolstered the number of SWAT teams and the extent of their operations. The paper reported that the military transferred nearly 100,000 pieces of military equipment to Wisconsin police departments in the 1990s.<ref name="alexander" />{{rp|77}}

[[Criminal justice]] professors Peter Kraska and Victor Kappeler, in their study ''Militarizing American Police: The Rise and Normalization of Paramilitary Units'', surveyed police departments nationwide and found that their deployment of paramilitary units had grown tenfold between the early 1980s and late 1990s.<ref name=Kraska>{{cite journal
| last      = Kraska
| first     = Peter B.
| author2   = Victor E. Kaeppler
| date      = Feb 1997
| title     = Militarizing American Police: The Rise and Normalization of Paramilitary Units
| journal   = Social Problems
| volume    = 44
| issue     = 1
| pages     = 1–18
| publisher = University of California Press
| jstor     = 3096870
| doi       = 10.1525/sp.1997.44.1.03x0209a
}}</ref>

==== Columbine shooting ====
{{further|Columbine effect}}
The [[Columbine High School massacre]] in Colorado on April&nbsp;20, 1999 was another seminal event in SWAT tactics and police response. As perpetrators [[Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold]] were shooting students and staff inside the school, officers did not intervene in the shooting, but instead set a perimeter as they were trained to do. By the time they did enter the school, 12 people were killed and Harris and Klebold had committed suicide. They were also heavily criticized for not saving teacher Dave Sanders, who had died from [[Bleeding#Blood loss|blood loss]], three hours after the SWAT first entered the school.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.westword.com/news/swat-leaders-defense-of-columbine-response-too-little-much-too-late-8028541 | title=SWAT Leader's Defense of Columbine Response: Too Little, Much Too Late| date=June 22, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.acolumbinesite.com/victim/sanders.php|title=Coach William "Dave" Sanders}}</ref> As noted in an article in the ''[[The Christian Science Monitor|Christian Science Monitor]]'', "Instead of being taught to wait for the SWAT team to arrive, street officers are receiving the training and weaponry to take immediate action during incidents that clearly involve suspects' use of deadly force."<ref name="SWAT03">{{cite web
| url         = http://csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/durableRedirect.pl?/durable/2000/05/31/fp2s2-csm.shtml
| title       = Report following the Columbine High School Massacre
| work        = The Christian Science Monitor
| access-date  = June 19, 2006
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20050904193551/http://csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/durableRedirect.pl?%2Fdurable%2F2000%2F05%2F31%2Ffp2s2-csm.shtml
| archive-date = September 4, 2005
| url-status     = dead
}}</ref> The article further reported that street officers were increasingly being armed with rifles, and issued heavy body armor and ballistic helmets, items traditionally associated with SWAT units. The idea was to train and equip street officers to make a rapid response to so-called [[active shooter]] situations. In these situations, it was no longer acceptable to simply set up a perimeter and wait for SWAT. As an example, in the policy and procedure manual of the [[Minneapolis Police Department]], it is stated, "MPD personnel shall remain cognizant of the fact that in many active shooter incidents, innocent lives are lost within the first few minutes of the incident. In some situations, this dictates the need to rapidly assess the situation and act quickly in order to save lives."<ref name="SWAT04">{{cite web
| url        = http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mpdpolicy/7-900/7-900.asp#P94_7168
| title        = Policy & Procedure Manual
| publisher        = Minneapolis, Minnesota, Police Department
| access-date        = June 19, 2006
| archive-date        = July 25, 2006
| archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20060725004357/http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mpdpolicy/7-900/7-900.asp#P94_7168
| url-status        = dead
}}</ref>

=== Post-9/11 and the War on Terror ===
According to criminal justice professor Cyndi Banks, the [[War on Terror]], like the War on Drugs, became the context of a significant expansion of SWAT policing.<ref name="banks">{{cite book
| last1     = Banks
| first1    = Cyndi
| title     = Criminal Justice Ethics: Theory and Practice
| date      = 2016
| publisher = SAGE Publications
| isbn      = 978-1-5063-2604-7
}}</ref> Whereas some have attributed this expansion to "mission creep" and the [[militarization of police]], other scholars argue that increased SWAT policing is a response to real or perceived [[moral panic]]s associated with fear of crime and terrorism. Banks writes that SWAT team employment of military veterans has influenced their tactics and perspective.<ref name="banks" />{{rp|33–39}}

Countering the view that post-9/11 SWAT policing represents the militarization of police forces, scholar den Heyer writes that SWAT policing is part of a natural progression towards police professionalization. Den Heyer also argues that while SWAT teams continue to be deployed to execute large numbers of drug warrants, this is a rational use of available police resources.<ref name="banks" />{{rp|39}} Other defenders of SWAT deployments state that police have every reason to minimize risks to themselves during raids.<ref name="banks" />{{rp|39}}

By 2005, the number of yearly SWAT deployments in the United States had increased to 50,000,<ref name="lippman">{{cite book
| last1     = Lippman
| first1    = Matthew
| title     = Criminal Procedure
| date      = 2013
| publisher = SAGE
| isbn      = 978-1-4522-5814-0
}}</ref>{{rp|183–4}}<ref name="fisher">{{cite book
| last1     = Fisher
| first1    = James
| title     = SWAT Madness and the Militarization of the American Police: A National Dilemma
| date      = 2010
| publisher = ABC CLIO
| isbn      = 978-0-313-39191-0
}}</ref>{{rp|13–14}} most often to serve drug-related warrants in private homes.<ref name="banks" /><ref name="gaines">{{cite book
| last1     = Gaines
| first1    = Larry
| last2     = Miller
| first2    = Roger LeRoy
| title     = Criminal Justice in Action
| date      = 2016
| publisher = Cengage Learning
| isbn      = 978-1-305-85497-0
}}</ref>{{rp|205}} According to a study by the [[American Civil Liberties Union|ACLU]], just under 80% of SWAT deployments were used to serve arrest warrants.<ref name="stamper">{{cite book
| last1     = Stamper
| first1    = Norm
| title     = To Protect and Serve: How to Fix America's Police
| date      = 2016
| publisher = Nation Books
| isbn      = 978-1-56858-541-3
}}</ref>

Officers have cited safety as the main reason for use of SWAT teams, stating that SWAT units would frequently be called if there were a possibility a suspect might be armed. For instance, in 2006, only two police officers were killed in the arrest of 2 million drug suspects, a low casualty rate possibly stemming from the military equipment and tactics used in the raids.<ref name="fisher" />{{rp|13–14}}

On February 7, 2008, a siege and subsequent firefight with a shooter in the [[Winnetka, California|Winnetka]] neighborhood of Los Angeles led to the first line-of-duty death of a member of the LAPD's SWAT team in its 41 years of existence.<ref>{{cite news
| url         = http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fivedead9feb09,1,5439551.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
| title       = Siege in Winnetka, California
| newspaper   = Los Angeles Times
| date        = February 9, 2008
| access-date  = June 5, 2009
| url-status     = dead
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090115134112/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fivedead9feb09,1,5439551.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
| archive-date = January 15, 2009
}}</ref>

[[Radley Balko]], an analyst for the [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] [[Cato Institute]], argued in his book ''Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America'' that increased SWAT raids have made [[No-knock warrant|no-knock raids]], and danger to innocents and suspects, far greater.<ref>Radley Balko, [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193652,00.html "In Virginia, the Death Penalty for Gambling"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615051217/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193652,00.html |date=June 15, 2011 }}, Fox News Channel, May 1, 2006</ref> Another study, ''Warrior Cops: The Ominous Growth of Paramilitarism in American Police Departments'' by Diane Cecilia Weber, also of the Cato Institute, raised concern about the increasing use of SWAT teams for ordinary policing tasks.<ref>{{cite web
| url        = http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp-050es.html
| title      = Warrior Cops The Ominous Growth of Paramilitarism in American Police Departments
| publisher  = Cato.org
| date       = August 26, 1999
| access-date = June 19, 2012
}}</ref>

== Organization ==
<!-- Please don't enter any material without citations, sources, or references. We have a lot of anonymous editors adding apparent original research to the text. -->
[[File:SWAT team approaches building at Fort Hood 2009-11-05.JPG|thumb|left|[[United States Department of Defense|DoD]] SWAT officers responding to the [[2009 Fort Hood shooting]] in Texas]]
The relative infrequency of SWAT call-outs means these expensively trained and equipped officers cannot be left to sit around, waiting for an emergency. In many departments the officers are normally deployed to regular duties, but are available for SWAT calls via pagers, mobile phones, or radio transceivers. Even in larger police agencies, SWAT personnel will normally be seen in crime suppression roles—specialized and more dangerous than regular patrol, but the officers would not be carrying their distinctive armor and weapons.

Since officers have to be on call-out most of the day, they may be assigned to regular patrol duties. To decrease response times to situations that require a SWAT team, it is now a common practice to place SWAT equipment and weaponry in secured lockers in the trunks of specialized [[Police car|police cruisers]] instead of forcing officers to travel to gather their equipment or only use a single dedicated SWAT vehicle.

By illustration, the LAPD's website shows that in 2003, their SWAT units were activated 255 times for 133 SWAT calls and 122 times to serve high-risk warrants.<ref>{{cite web
| url        = http://www.lapdonline.org/metropolitan_division/content_basic_view/850
| title      = official website of The Los Angeles Police Department
| publisher  = Lapdonline.org
| access-date = June 5, 2009
}}</ref> The [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]]'s [[New York City Police Department Emergency Service Unit|Emergency Service Unit]] is one of the few police special-response units that operate autonomously 24 hours a day. However, this unit also provides a wide range of services in addition to SWAT functions, including search and rescue, and car accident vehicle extrication, normally handled by [[fire department]]s or other agencies.

The need to summon widely dispersed personnel, then equip and brief them, makes for a long lag between the initial emergency and actual SWAT deployment on the ground. The problems of delayed police response at Columbine led to changes in police response,<ref>{{cite web
| author     = CSMonitor.com<!--Last Update: 9:22&nbsp;am ET-->
| url        = http://www.csmonitor.com/2000/0531/p2s2.html
| title      = Change in tactics: Police trade talk for rapid response
| work       = The Christian Science Monitor
| date       = May 31, 2000
| access-date = June 5, 2009
}}</ref> mainly rapid deployment of line officers to deal with an active shooter, rather than setting up a perimeter and waiting for SWAT to arrive.

== SWAT equipment ==
SWAT teams use equipment designed for a variety of specialist situations including [[Close quarters combat|close-quarters combat]] (CQC) in an urban environment. The particular pieces of equipment vary from unit to unit, but there are some consistent trends in what they wear and use.<ref name="wcsert">{{cite web
| url         = http://www.wicomicosheriff.com/sert.htm
| title       = Wicomico County Sheriff's Emergency Response Team (S.E.R.T.)
| work        = Wicomico County Sheriff's Office
| year        = 2009
| url-status     = dead
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130428025627/http://www.wicomicosheriff.com/sert.htm
| archive-date = April 28, 2013
}}</ref> Much of their equipment is indistinguishable from that supplied to the military, not least because much of it is [[military surplus]].<ref name="ibtm4">{{cite web
| url         = http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ferguson-shooting-missouri-swat-teams-armed-m4-assault-rifles-1461507
| title       = Ferguson Shooting: Missouri SWAT Teams Armed with M4 Assault Rifles
| work        = [[International Business Times]]
| date        = August 17, 2014
| url-status     = dead
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140819222309/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ferguson-shooting-missouri-swat-teams-armed-m4-assault-rifles-1461507
| archive-date = August 19, 2014
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url         = http://www.dispositionservices.dla.mil/leso/Pages/default.aspx
| title       = About the 1033 Program
| work        = [[DLA Disposition Services]]
| year        = 2014
| url-status     = dead
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20141209035113/http://www.dispositionservices.dla.mil/leso/Pages/default.aspx
| archive-date = December 9, 2014
}}</ref>

=== Clothing ===
[[File:Active shooter exercise at Navy EOD school 131203-F-oc707-008.jpg|thumb|[[Crestview, Florida|Crestview Police Department]] SWAT officers wearing different combat uniforms during an [[Active shooter training|active shooter exercise]] at [[Eglin Air Force Base]] in 2013]]
SWAT personnel wear similar uniforms to those worn by military personnel. Traditional SWAT uniforms are usually solid tones of dark blue, black, grey, tan, or olive green, though uniforms with [[military camouflage]] have become popular with some SWAT units since the 2000s.<ref>{{cite book
| last  = Sweeney
| first = Patrick
| url   = https://books.google.com/books?id=Sibal4UgsCMC&pg=PA21
| title = Modern Law Enforcement Weapons & Tactics
| work  = [[Krause Publications]]
| date  = 2004
| page  = 21
| publisher = F+W Media
| isbn = 9781440224584
}}</ref>

Early SWAT units were equipped with a variety of headgear such as [[M1 helmet]]s, [[motorcycle helmet]]s, [[bicycle helmet|bump helmet]]s, or even soft [[patrol cap]]s.<ref name=sween23>{{cite book
| last  = Sweeney
| first = Patrick
| url   = https://books.google.com/books?id=Sibal4UgsCMC&pg=PA21
| title = Modern Law Enforcement Weapons & Tactics
| work  = Krause Publications
| date  = 2004
| page  = 23
| publisher = F+W Media
| isbn = 9781440224584
}}</ref> Modern SWAT units use helmets similar to those issued by the U.S. military, such as the [[Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops|PASGT helmet]] or [[Future Assault Shell Technology helmet]], though they may also use [[Riot protection helmet|riot helmets]] or soft headgear such as [[cap]]s. [[Balaclava (clothing)|Balaclavas]] and [[goggles]] are often used to protect the face and protect the identities of team members.<ref name=sween23 /><ref name="Tactical Medicine Essentials">{{cite book
| url   = https://books.google.com/books?id=xuFZlbJVxc4C&pg=PA43
| title = Tactical Medicine Essentials
| work  = [[American College of Emergency Physicians]]
| date  = 2012
| pages = 43–44
| isbn = 9781449649555
| last3 = Campbell
| first3 = John E.
| last4 = Heiskell
| first4 = Lawrence E.
| publisher = Jones & Bartlett Publishers
}}</ref> [[Bulletproof vest|Ballistic vests]], sometimes including rigid plate inserts, are standard-issue.<ref name="Tactical Medicine Essentials" /> These vests are labelled with "POLICE", "SHERIFF", "SWAT", or similar, to allow for easy identification.<ref>{{cite book
| url   = https://books.google.com/books?id=xuFZlbJVxc4C&pg=PA107
| title = Tactical Medicine Essentials
| work  = American College of Emergency Physicians
| date  = 2012
| pages = 107
| isbn = 9781449649555
| last3 = Campbell
| first3 = John E.
| last4 = Heiskell
| first4 = Lawrence E.
| publisher = Jones & Bartlett Publishers
}}</ref>

=== Weapons and equipment ===
SWAT units are equipped with special weapons that are not normally used by regular police units, typically military firearms such as [[assault rifle]]s, [[submachine gun]]s, [[riot shotgun]]s, [[sniper rifle]]s, [[Riot control#Riot control agent (RCA)|riot control agents]], [[smoke grenade]]s, [[stun grenade]]s, and [[Blast ball|stinger grenades]].<ref>{{cite book
| last  = Sweeney
| first = Patrick
| url   = https://books.google.com/books?id=Sibal4UgsCMC&q=mp-5
| title = Modern Law Enforcement Weapons & Tactics
| work  = Krause Publications
| date  = 2004
| pages = 198, 227
| publisher = F+W Media
| isbn = 9781440224584
}}</ref><ref name="popfel">{{cite web |date=May 1997 |title=Felon Busters: On The Job With LAPD SWAT |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XmYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT53 |work=[[Popular Mechanics]] |publisher=Hearst Magazines |pages=53–58}}</ref><ref name="articlearchive1">{{cite web
| url        = http://www.hendonpub.com/resources/article_archive/results/details?id=3395
| title        = SWAT Round-Up International 2006: Team Insights &#124; Tactical Response Magazine
| publisher        = Hendonpub.com
| access-date        = June 5, 2009
| archive-date        = September 4, 2015
| archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20150904125331/http://www.hendonpub.com/resources/article_archive/results/details?id=3395
| url-status        = dead
}}</ref><ref name="howstuffworks1">{{cite web
| url        = http://people.howstuffworks.com/swat-team2.htm
| title      = HowStuffWorks 'How SWAT Teams Work'
| publisher  = People.howstuffworks.com
| access-date = June 5, 2009
| date = January 31, 2007
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| author     = Eden Pastora
| url        = http://www.tacticaloperations.com/swatfeb2003/index.html
| title      = SWAT February 2003
| publisher  = Tacticaloperations.com
| access-date = June 5, 2009
}}</ref> Though these armaments make SWAT teams resemble military [[infantry]] [[squad]]s, they are still law enforcement units tasked with [[arrest]], and are thus often also equipped with [[Non-lethal weapon|less-lethal weapon]]s such as [[taser]]s, [[pepper spray]], [[Pepper-spray projectile|pepperball]]s, [[baton round]]s, [[bean bag round]]s, and [[rubber bullet]]s to incapacitate suspects. Many SWAT units also have access to specialized equipment such as [[ballistic shield]]s, [[Door breaching|entry tools]], [[battering ram]]s, [[SWAT vehicle|armored vehicles]], [[Thermography|thermal]] and [[night-vision device]]s, [[Fiberscope|fiberscope cameras]], and [[motion detector]]s.<ref>{{cite book
| url   = https://books.google.com/books?id=k01_aKN8LkIC&q=%22sting%22+%22tear%22+%22flashbang%22&pg=PA32
| title = SWAT
| publisher  = ABDO Publishing Company
| year  = 2013
| pages = 12–14
| isbn = 9781614789383
| last1 = Ollhoff
| first1 = Jim
}}</ref>

[[Worldwide usage of police dogs#United States|Canine units]] may also be incorporated within SWAT teams, or may be used on an ''ad hoc'' basis.<ref>{{cite web
| url         = http://www.policemag.com/Blog/SWAT/Story/2009/10/How-to-Coexist-with-a-K-9-Unit.aspx
| title       = How to Coexist with a K-9 Unit
| work        = POLICE Magazine
| date        = October 7, 2009
| url-status     = dead
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100620193823/http://www.policemag.com/Blog/SWAT/Story/2009/10/How-to-Coexist-with-a-K-9-Unit.aspx
| archive-date = June 20, 2010
}}</ref>

=== Vehicles ===
{{Main|SWAT vehicle}}
[[File:May 31 2020 Charleston County curfew.png|thumb|SWAT officers on a [[Lenco BearCat]], an [[infantry mobility vehicle]] notable for common police use, in [[Charleston County, South Carolina]]]]
SWAT units often employ SWAT vehicles, also called "armored rescue vehicles" (ARV),<ref>{{cite web
| title      = GUIDELINES for ARMORED RESCUE VEHICLES
| url        = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1421340761.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121105205538/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1421340761.html
| url-status   = dead
| archive-date = November 5, 2012
| date       = January 1, 2008
| access-date = January 25, 2011
}}</ref> for insertion, maneuvering, and during operations such as the rescue of personnel and civilians who may be in danger of receiving fire from suspects if extracted through other methods.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 11, 2001 |title=Police Armored Rescue Vehicles: Tactical Rescue Considerations &#124; Tactical Response Magazine |url=http://www.hendonpub.com/resources/articlearchive/details.aspx?ID=207348 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324101756/http://www.hendonpub.com/resources/articlearchive/details.aspx?ID=207348 |archive-date=March 24, 2012 |access-date=June 19, 2012 |publisher=Hendonpub.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=March 1, 2007 |title=L.A. police mark anniversary of infamous shootout that changed policing &#124; National & World News &#124; KATU.com – Portland News, Sports, Traffic Weather and Breaking News – Portland, Oregon |url=http://www.katu.com/news/national/6183961.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320014543/http://www.katu.com/news/national/6183961.html |archive-date=March 20, 2012 |access-date=June 19, 2012 |publisher=KATU.com |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Common armored SWAT vehicles include the [[Lenco BearCat]], Lenco BEAR, [[BAE Caiman]], [[Cadillac Gage Ranger]], [[Cadillac Gage Commando]], and similar vehicles.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tegler |first=Eric |title=Loaded For Bear: Lenco's Bearcat Is Ready For Duty |url=http://www.autoweek.com/article/20050509/FREE/505090718 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622031246/http://www.autoweek.com/article/20050509/FREE/505090718 |archive-date=June 22, 2011 |access-date=June 5, 2009 |publisher=Autoweek.com}}</ref><ref name="berkshirebusinessoutlook1">{{cite web |title=Bulletproof  |url=http://www.berkshireeagle.com/berkshirebusinessoutlook/ci_3609336 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070402031236/http://www.berkshireeagle.com/berkshirebusinessoutlook/ci_3609336 |archive-date=April 2, 2007 |access-date=June 5, 2009 |publisher=Berkshire Eagle Online |first1=Derek |last1=Gentile }}</ref><ref name="Lebovich">{{cite web |last=Lebovich |first=Jen |date=July 21, 2004 |title=Armored truck newest NYPD weapon |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/armored-truck-newest-nypd-weapon-article-1.603178 |access-date=November 9, 2015 |work=Daily News |location=New York |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103002109/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/armored-truck-newest-nypd-weapon-article-1.603178 |archive-date= Jan 3, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="specwarnet1">{{cite web |title=TacLink – Washington DC ERT |url=http://www.specwarnet.net/taclink/Police/WA_DC_Metro_ERT.htm |access-date=June 5, 2009 |publisher=Specwarnet.net}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FHP Special Activities and Programs |url=http://www.flhsmv.gov/fhp/html/spec_act.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219011438/http://www.flhsmv.gov/fhp/html/spec_act.html |archive-date=February 19, 2009 |access-date=June 5, 2009 |publisher=Flhsmv.gov}}</ref> Some departments use decommissioned, disarmed military vehicles acquired from the [[Law Enforcement Support Office]]. Alternatively, SWAT teams may use [[unmarked police car]]s to respond faster, provide better mobility when splitting up, or avoid detection.

[[Police aircraft]], commonly [[helicopter]]s, are used to provide aerial reconnaissance or insertion via [[Abseiling|rappelling]] or [[fast-roping]].

The use of armored vehicles by SWAT teams is controversial, and it has been alleged that police armored vehicles escalate situations that could otherwise be resolved peacefully.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Iyer |first1=Vikrant |title=Policing in Minority Communities |date=2025 |publisher=Educohack Press |url={{Google books|35lIEQAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes|page=PT99}}|isbn=9789361525209}}</ref><ref name="NYT2014">{{cite news |last1=Apuzzo |first1=Matt |title=War Gear Flows to Police Departments |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/09/us/war-gear-flows-to-police-departments.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=8 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140609153510/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/09/us/war-gear-flows-to-police-departments.html |archive-date=9 June 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Some smaller police departments and sheriff's departments also acquire armored vehicles despite few incidents occurring in their jurisdictions that would necessitate their use.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cox |first1=Steven M. |last2=Massey |first2=David|last3=Koski|first3=Connie M.|last4=Fitch|first4=Brian D.|title=Introduction to Policing |date=2020 |publisher=SAGE Publications |url={{Google books|ZBl7DwAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes|page=PA45}}|isbn=9781544339610 |page=45 |edition=4}}</ref><ref name="NYT2014"/>

== Use of term in other countries ==
[[File:MPS MTW 粤B3891警.jpg|thumb|Shenzhen SWAT]]
=== China ===
According to Lu Liu and Li Chen, police tactical units in China are called ‘Te Jing’ which literally translates into ‘special police’ and are a short form for ‘special weapons and tactics’ (SWAT).<ref name=LuandLi>{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Li |last2=Liu |first2=Lu |title=Demystifying China’s police tactical units |journal=International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice |date=June 2023 |volume=73 |doi=10.1016/j.ijlcj.2023.100595 |at=100595 |issn=1756-0616}}</ref> China's SWAT members can be distinguished by their dark combat uniforms and the ‘SWAT’ embroidery on it, and their access to better equipment and weaponry.<ref name=LuandLi/> SWAT teams formally become a part of China's policing system in 2005 and unofficial statistics have suggested rapid proliferation of the teams across China in the years since. According to one study the authors cited, from 2005-2011, the number of SWAT teams grew from 0 to more than 900 with more than 48,000 enlisted officers.<ref name=LuandLi/>

== Notable incidents ==
=== United States ===
[[File:Louisiana State Police SWAT Team.jpg|thumb|Members of Louisiana State Police SWAT Team in New Orleans assisting with Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts.]]
* [[1973 Brooklyn hostage crisis]]
* [[Shannon Street massacre]]
* [[1985 MOVE bombing]]
* [[North Hollywood shootout]]
* [[Hurricane Katrina disaster relief]]
* [[Virginia Tech shooting]]
* [[2009 shootings of Oakland police officers]]
* [[2009 shooting of Pittsburgh police officers]]
* [[Killing of Aiyana Jones]]
* [[Jose Guerena shooting]]
* [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting]]
* [[2016 shooting of Dallas police officers]]
* [[Pulse nightclub shooting]]
* [[2017 Las Vegas shooting]]
* [[Killing of Duncan Lemp]]
* [[Shooting of Jason Harley Kloepfer]]
* [[2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States|2020 deployment of federal forces]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dinan |first1=Stephen |title=16 federal agencies sent SWAT teams to deal with protests: Audit |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/sep/10/16-federal-agencies-sent-swat-teams-deal-protests-/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |work=[[The Washington Times]] |date=10 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|title=Federal Tactical Teams: Characteristics, Training, Deployments, and Inventory|date=September 10, 2020|series=GAO-20-710|publisher=United States Government Accountability Office|url=https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-20-710.pdf|no-pp=yes|pages=Appendix III: Reported Tactical Team Deployments for Civil Unrest and Protests in May and June 2020: pp. 53–56 |access-date=12 January 2024}}</ref>
* [[Uvalde school shooting]]

=== China ===
[[File:Beijing Special Police Force Operators.jpg|thumb|Beijing SWAT members attending a readiness exercise for the 2008 Olympics.]]
* Arrest of [[Fa Ziying and Lao Rongzhi|Fa Ziying]] 
* Disaster relief after the [[2008 Sichuan earthquake|2008 Sichuan Earthquakes]] 
* [[Yang Jia|Yang Jia attacks]] 
* Security during the [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing Olympics]]
* [[2011 Hotan attack|2011 Hotan Attack]] 
* [[June 2013 Shanshan riots]] 
* [[Chengguan (agency)#2018 Shangqiu clashes|2018 Shangqiu Police-Chengguan clashes]] 

== See also ==
* [[List of police tactical units]]
* [[Emergency Service Unit]]
* [[Special reaction team]] (U.S. military police)
* [[SWAT World Challenge]]
* [[Militarization of police]]
* [[Riot police]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Special Weapons and Tactics in the United States}}
<!-- Please consult [[WP:EL]] before adding links to this page. -->
* [http://www.ntoa.org/ NTOA.org] The National Tactical Officers Association, a national organization of tactical professionals.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130312022924/http://www.itota.net/ ITOTA.net] The International Tactical Officers Training Association, an international organization of tactical professionals

[[Category:1968 establishments in California]]
[[Category:History of Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Law enforcement in the United States]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1968]]
[[Category:Paramilitary police]]
[[Category:Police tactical units|*]]