Special Weapons And Tactics

SWAT is the Acronyme of Special Weapons And Tactics , ( Special Weapons Attack Tactics in the beginning).

With the the United States, it is the most known name of the public of the unit of police force specialized in the paramilitary operations which, in the big cities, is involved to achieve dangerous missions. These missions can consist of attacks coordinated on objectives chosen such as criminals heavily armed in cut off places. The members of these units are equipped more heavily than the usual police officers, since they have rifles of attack, with rifles with pumps, of Casque S special, grenades for purpose of shock, and powerful rifles with telescopic sight for the gunners of precision (the Marksmen ). The equivalent in France are the RAID and GIGN (National police).

History

In August 1965, the riots of Watts in California which lasted more than seven days and gathered approximately 10  000 people took a turning of most dramatic: 34 died and thousands of wounded more or less seriously. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) quickly became aware of the problem and made the most objective observation and most realistic of the situation: they needed an special unit able to answer its waitings. This wish was quickly made feel after the incident of the shooting of Surrey Street where three police officers and the exaggerated one barricaded lost the life. The chief of the police force of the time, Daryl F. Spoil declared following these events: “I understood that we must conceive another method to neutralize the snipers or barricaded. ”

First unit SWAT of the history appeared in 1968; but as opposed to what one could believe, it did not appear in the town of Delano with business UFW, but well in Los Angeles. The first challenge for the SWAT of the LAPD was taken up the December 9th 1969: a four hours confrontation with members of the Black Panthers. The Panthers ended up going; the human account of three Panthers was wounded and three injured policemen.

The afternoon of the May 17th 1974, the SWAT of the LAPD raised one of its more big challenges. Elements of a group which had been given for name the Armée with release symbionaise (ALS), a group of heavily armed terrorists, who had barricaded themselves in a residence on the 54e street Is Compton avenue. The seat was retransmis to million witnesses by television and the radio, and reported in the world press a few days later. The barricaded suspects had to go to 26 occasions, 18 before the teargas sending, and 10 during the confrontation which followed. Not only one shot was not drawn by the police force until multiple shots of semi-automatic and automatic weapons do not answer their first calls. In spite of the shooting of 3  772 balls per the ALS, any passer by or police officer was not wounded.

The destiny of the suspects was quite different. During the shooting, a fire was declared inside the residence. Officially, the cause of fire is unknown. Police sources speculated that a stray bullet could have put fire at the kingpins of besieged. Others suspectent that it is more simply the repeated use of grenades with teargas, whose principle rests on the combustion of chemicals at high temperature, which put fire. The six suspects were sifted balls and perished in the fire which followed.

Another episode celebrates was the Northern Fusillade of Hollywood, the February 28th 1997.

Missions

The first mission of the SWAT is to assist and press the other police officers on the ground for arrests. Even if those are not (in general) at high the risks. The competent authorities prefer to send the SWAT not to take any risk because the firearms are very frequent in the USA.

For particular missions, the SWAT of the LAPD uses Beautiful 206 Jetranger (Replaced since by a EC-145) army of a light machine-gun M60. This héliporté means is primarily used to launch an attack by the roof if the main door is barricaded or too strongly defended. Moreover, the noise of a helicopter and its presence can constitute a perfect means of diversion, which on the spot makes it possible to the teams to be able to intervene without risks.

Drive

The drive occurs in 21 weeks. It comprises the basic tests of a police officer but also an intense physical drive, a formation advanced with the combat with the body with body and a formation with the weapons and special equipment of the unit.

1°: Physical course

The physical course is the most important test of a recruit of the SWAT. It consists with:

  • the net : To cross a net suspended horizontally with all its equipment.

  • the wall : To rise on a wall of more than 2 meters in height.
  • the cord : To go up on a cord of more than 6 meters in height, with all its equipment.
  • the conduit : To pass by a narrow conduit.
  • the tires : To run through several tens of tires.

2°: Test of shooting

The second characteristic of a police officer of the SWAT remains his aptitude for the shooting. The police officer must be very good, even an excellent gunner. The tests are:

  • the shooting range

  • the house of tires or the " House" cars; : Units SWAT like this kind of place to involve itself because the possibilities of covering themselves or of hiding are immense and one can draw without making major damage.
  • Killing House : An ordinary House with its obstacles (Doors, Windows, Pieces of furniture,…). It makes it possible to the men of the SWAT to be in a situation of exercise the most realistic possible. This test makes it possible to test the capacities of a team to intervene in this kind of situation.

Weapons used

  • Colt M4 A1 with glasses and lighting system SureFire.

  • KIMBER SWAT with lighting system SureFire.

  • To pack to temporarily neutralize their enemies thanks to discharges electric.

  • Fusil with pump gauges 12 charged with Chevrotine or with ball to open the doors in particular.

Comparable units out of the United States

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