Special Weapons & Tactics Unit (SWAT)  

SWAT is an acronym for Special Weapons and Tactics that now has become a house hold word. These highly and specially trained personnel spend hours upon hours practicing for every conceivable situation where standard law enforcement tactics and equipment will not work.  How did SWAT get started? What training is involved? What kind of equipment is used? What is their role in big and smaller cities? What do SWAT personnel do when their services are not required?

A heavily armored vehicle pulls up to a dangerous situation. Camouflaged and heavily armed officers jump from the trucks with assorted and sometimes unintelligible commands and signals.  They are carrying a variety of weapons and gear, some recognizable and some looking like they came from a spy agencies lab.  They wear harnesses dripping with equipment, black helmets, face masks and gloves.  Those body parts not covered by clothing and equipment are smeared with camouflage paint.  Although there is a real person under all that gear, you'd never know who.  An alien invasion?  Super heroes in action?  More the latter than the former. 

How did SWAT get started?  The idea of needing a special unit trained and equipped to deal with extraordinary situations came about by necessity.  Large scale civil unrest overwhelmed existing law enforcement operations in the 1960's.  In Los Angeles in December of 1969, a group called the Black Panthers was barricaded in a house.  The standoff lasted for several hours and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were expended.  Later on, a group called the SLA engaged in a standoff with the LAPD.  Again the standoff was long and thousands of rounds of ammunition were expended.  The house caught on fire, possibly from an errant round hitting something explosive or flammable in the house.  Officer John Nelson brought the concept of a unit specially trained and equipped to handle these types of situations with less loss of life and property damage.  The proposal was presented to then Inspector Daryl Gates who approved the idea.  SWAT was born.

The LAPD launched its first full time SWAT unit in 1971.  Training, equipment and tactics were developed to meet high risk situations.  In 1983, the LAPD SWAT team was sent to Europe further honing their skills.  They trained and worked with such organizations as the German GS9-9 and the British SAS.  LAPD, along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department SWAT team, continues to train and cross train and is the hub of training local SWAT units on the West coast.

What training is involved?  First, SWAT personnel have to be fully accredited law enforcement officers.  Most have over five years of experience.  Locally, a written, psychological and physical ability test is given to the applicants.  Those that are accepted for SWAT must attend a certified SWAT school.  For Bend, that is the Los Angeles County Sheriff's school.  The schools run from 40-80 hours.  Each SWAT officer must complete two 6 hour range training sessions per month.  Certainly marksman ship has a high priority but team members must also climb 10' walls, jump over obstacles, drag bags of rocks, crawl through windows and culverts, complete a quarter mile run, repeat all of the obstacles, and sprint to a finish line all in under six minutes.  At least once per year, SWAT personnel go through intensive training at Camp Rilea near Astoria Oregon.  This is done in consort with the Oregon State Police SWAT team.

The qualities that make a good SWAT officer and help them persevere through all the initial and ongoing training are not the aggressive, cold, cynical types seen on TV.  SWAT officers must be excellent decision makers even when in extreme danger.  They must have a mature attitude and focus on ways to minimize the force needed to control the situation.  Brains, intensive training and dedication are the mark of these professionals.

What kind of special equipment is used?  Perhaps the most noticeable piece of equipment is the vehicles.  Our local SWAT team has three of them.  There area two converted armored cars and one converted ambulance.  The vehicles were donated to the SWAT program.  Pneu-con, a local steel supplier, was instrumental in donating additional steel used as armor, welding equipment and expertise in converting the vehicles for SWAT use.  Labor was donated by the SWAT team.  The heavy vehicles are used in tactical situations while the converted ambulance is primarily used for transporting personnel and equipment to the scene.  The armored cars have bullet resistant glass that can be augmented with steel shutters.  The radiators have special deflector shields in front of them.  The units are equipped with towing and pulling gear, assorted ropes and chains to clear obstacles, building entry devices, ladders and other equipment to allow personnel to access just about any building.

Depending on the situation, SWAT personnel can select from a variety of non-lethal or lethal munitions and equipment.  Bean bag, rubber bullets and tear gas are some of the common non-lethal projectiles.  Double 0 shotgun, .223 rifle, .308 rifle and 9mm projectiles can be delivered by several different rifles and pistols.  Entry teams can use "flash bangs" and other distraction devices while marksman observers use special rifles and optics if the need arises.  The Oregon National Guard works closely with the SWAT team and can provide helicopters with Infra Red Radar and other surveillance equipment.  Kevlar, ceramic and metal plating is commonly used to protect the teams.  None of these need be used if a key element of SWAT is successful, and that is the negotiator.  Many times people under duress need someone to talk to, to explain the situation and to try to put reason ahead of emotion or fear.  The negotiators are specially trained to not only hear but also to listen, not just talk but to speak clearly, coherently and leave no room for doubt or misinterpretation.  No false promises are given only reality.

SWAT units are not just for big cities.  In the Bend area, the SWAT team routinely works with State and Federal agencies on high risk warrants, drug problems and dignitary protection.  Locally, SWAT works with other law enforcement agencies on drug labs, barricaded subjects, high risk warrants and incidents requiring their special training.

When not on SWAT details or training, personnel work regular shifts for their Agencies.  Currently there are 35 SWAT team members.  Team members include tactical operators, marksman observers, negotiators, team scribes, administrative and medical personnel.  22 members are from Bend Police, two Bend Fire EMS staff and one Emergency Room Physician.  The rest are officers from the Deschutes County Sheriffs Office, the Redmond Police Department, the Crook County Sheriff's Office, the Prineville Police Department and Madras Police Department.  All SWAT personnel carry their basic equipment at all times.  They all have pagers on 24 hours a day that must be responded too irrespective of what they are doing at the time.

Law enforcement personnel are trained to contain and control dangerous situations. SWAT personnel are trained to advance and end dangerous situations.  Escalation is dictated by events and the danger presented to the public.  These well-trained, dedicated, educated and experienced teams are very successful in completion of their mission.