Special Weapons and Tactics - Research Paper Example

Special Weapons and Tactics The rising rate of crime and the increasing sophistication in criminal activities calls for a team of highly trained defense forces. It requires experts who can anticipate a crime before it happens and respond on time incase of any criminal alert. This paper will explore the history of SWAT and analyze the types of movement that this unit utilizes during their response to crime. Further, the text will look at the training requirements of members of SWAT team. Finally, the paper will focus on the incidents that may cause the commander to intervene. The history of SWAT The idea of SWAT emerged in the 1960s after the law enforcement agencies experienced a crisis of snipers in Los Angeles and other parts of the country. These snipers were targeting the public and police officers; eventually, they brought a new challenge in law enforcement (Clark et al.1). The incidents of snipping were common during the Watts Riot; this problem proceeded long after the riot. The leader of Los Angeles police Department did a critical examination of the response pattern of the regular police in sniper incidents; it realized that the methods were lacking in many ways. The LAPD leaders established that an efficient response to dangerous and critical conditions did not exist in the police force of America. John Nelson, a police officer, came up with the idea of unique weapons and tactics, and he presented it to inspector Darryl Gates. Gates was a young inspector who was ambitious to streamline the police force, and he approved and concurred with the concept of SWAT (Clark et al. 3). SWAT consisted of a small team of extremely trained and highly disciplined officers equipped with exceptional tactics and weapons. This high level of competence enabled SWAT officers to cope and respond to difficult and unusual attacks. The initial unit of SWAT had 15 four-man teams of volunteers from patrol police officers ranks; these volunteers were given advanced training in military skills. These highly trained officers were triggered for training that came every month or when exceptional weapons officers were needed in any critical situation. The SWAT unit offered security for facilities of the police during civil strife and unrest in America (Dempsey & Forst 15). In the early seventies, the SWAT officers got a full-time employment to the division of metropolitan. This came as the need arose to react to the rising action from subversive factions. Further, the assignments of SWAT included timely response to the crime scene and critical situations as well as improvement of the mustering of difficult situations (Clark et al. 5).The Metropolitan had earned the reputation of the Department’s tactical unit, arranged into platoons namely A, B and C. The SWAT team obtained the D platoon and the acronym SWAT became common in describing the Special Weapons and Tactics unit. Stealth Movement Tactics of stealth movement are quiet, blow and methodical techniques of searching, directed by the element boss (Jones 29). The element boss is the one who commands the movements of the SWAT team, as the team of assaulters continue with stealth cover and search for any hostile threat to the life of citizens. Assaulters proceed with their stealth search with the primary guidance from an optic-wand with a camera of optic fiber, which connects to the HUD of the officer. All information that is gathered by the optic camera passes from the assaulter officer to the element boss who utilizes the information in directing the SWAT team through a hostile situation (Thomson 37). Stealth movement consumes a lot of time, and it is only applicable when the officers have ample time to scan the area, which poses a threat to the public. Stealth tactics are always silent and careful, and they help officers to surprise criminals with an ambush. Once an officer enters a room for scanning, he should ensure that he clears the whole room using the optic camera, and if possible, the officers should clear the room before entering. Assaulting officers can utilize the wide angle clearing technique to maximize their view of the rooms that they are clearing. It is advisable for SWAT assault officers not to cross doors that have not been cleared unconditionally. Stealth movement can involve a single assaulting officer or two officers and even more than three officers. When they approach a room for clearance, they do so slowly and quietly, as they cover each other from any impending danger. The officers who stand behind the leading officer with an optic camera remain steady to protect themselves and the officer from harm that might be waiting for them (Dempsey & Forst 17). Other places that SWAT assault officers screen for dangers using stealth movement include Hallways. They mirror the hallway using the optic-wand with a maximum search angle to enhance the view of the hall (Dempsey & Forst18). Officers maintain a long distance between them and the corner to avoid any abrupt encounter with physical assault. Officers minimize the risk of an attack by reducing the body exposure through leaning on walls and entering any room cleared room. Stealth to breach points is applicable during hostage rescue operations and when the operation involves large buildings. This movement gives the team an advantage over the threat, as they apply multiple tactics that are dynamic. When applying the stealth to break concept, the point of breach should be spotted before entering the threat stronghold. Further, flashlights are used in stealth movement to enable an officer apply proper judgment regarding the hostility of the suspect. However, flashlights are dangerous as they betray the position of SWAT officers to criminals who might be having automatic weapons (Todd 62). Therefore, flashlights should be used with extreme care; an officer should ensure that he immediately moves away from the position. Dynamic movement Dynamic tactics follow the principle of going fast and hard towards an opponent; it describes the speed and aggressiveness of SWAT officers. Dynamic movement eliminates the surprise of SWAT officers, and they use aggressive force to subdue their opponents (Thomson 40). Dynamic movement maintains amplified aggressiveness and energy throughout the whole operation, as any mistake can cause loss of many lives of the officers and the public. Dynamic entry is essential in disorienting the opponents with explosive breaches and use of NFD’s. As they make an entry, officers utilize regulated speed, and they are organized to clear their AOR and the door threshold. Point of entry in dynamic movement is the part where the officers make the dynamic breach. POE can be an interior or an exterior entry point (Todd 63). The first officer in the stack executes a dynamic breach in a POE, and the second officer deploys an NFD soon after the breach. Without wasting time, the leading officer leads the rest of the officers into the building or room. Two-man door entries are coordinated, fast and smooth, when officers encounter a door that is not closed or locked. The officers maneuver their way through the door by deploying an NFD inside the doorway (Snow 51). Immediately after the deployment of an NFD, the two officers make their entry without wasting even a second, ready to counter any danger that might be waiting for them. SWAT officers approach closed doors in the same way as open doors, but for the closed doors, officers position themselves on each side of the door. One officer opens the knob of the door and deploys an NFD inside the doorway. The officers make their quick entry into the room soon after the explosion of NFD, and the officers hook the door with a button from inside to prevent any escape of opponents. Officers follow a same sequence of events when four officers maneuver a dynamic breach into a room. Thorough checks precede an entry to a room for threats inside the rooms that have not been cleared (Thomson 40). An optic-wand becomes immensely useful in both dynamic and stealth movements. In some situations, a stealth movement might be combined with a dynamic movement depending on the emerging circumstances in a hostile situation. Call-up incidents SWAT teams intervene in any circumstances that require the employment of tactical expertise and unusual weapons (Jones 31). Examples of situations that call for SWAT are VIP detail, hostage rescue, barricaded suspect, rapid deployment and warrant services that involve high risk. SWAT teams cope with the mental and physical challenges that surround critical situations. This they do regardless of the level of the prevailing stress or unfriendly environmental conditions. Barricaded suspects are suspects who are believed to be armed and refuse to comply when requested to surrender. Criminals are suspects of criminal activities; any approach by the police poses a high risk of harm to the officers (Thomson 43). Such suspects are seized using a combination of stealth and dynamic tactics, before they cause any harm. Hostage rescue circumstances utilize surprise, speed and diversion tactics to gain control of the situation, and minimize the collateral damage. Officers carrying out a rescue operation maintain momentum aggressiveness, accurate and fast shooting, and teamwork. Many factors become essential when choosing the tactical approach that will be applied in a hostage threshold, including the identity of hostages’ location and the size of the structure where hostages are. High-risk warrants are typified by fortified locations, knowledge of present shooters, and existence of weapons that are in use as well as the existence of violence propensity, and the need to protect evidence in a crime scene (Snow 52). High-risk warrants can either be narcotic or other criminal activities like robbery and murder. Dynamic tactics help to protect evidence from destruction by the suspects. Other tactics might be used in cases where evidence protection is not a priority in any high risk warrant raid. VIP Detail involves protection of prominent people like presidents and diplomats. SWAT teams provide intensive ground cover by controlling the movement routes of the motorcades. Further, they screen the areas for any potential bomb threats and snipers who might be hiding on rooftops (Jones 32). Rapid deployment refers to immediate deployment of tactical officers in crisis circumstances, where delay could result to injury or death of innocent citizens. Examples of crisis situations that call for rapid deployment include an active fire exchange between police officers and criminals and prevention of armed criminals from escaping. Rapid deployment tactics are similar to dynamic movement tactics, but they might differ in cases where the team requires evacuating a civilian or a wounded officer (Snow 54). Sometimes, officers are compelled to utilize suppressive fire from automatic weapons to subdue suspects. However, suppressive fire should be used carefully, or less stray bullets might result to massive casualties of innocent civilians. The ultimate goal of rapid deployment is to restore order in chaotic situations by controlling and containing any violent criminals. Training Requirements SWAT team members require specialized training in weapon use, tactical expertise and physical fitness. People who apply for training as SWAT team members are required to have worked in the police force for at least three years (Snow 56). This experience gives the applicants a chance to familiarize themselves with the law and procedures that apply in critical conditions. Further, the applicants should have substantial physical strength, with the ability to run and carry heavy loads. Furthermore, SWAT applicants should be intelligent and motivated individuals who can control their temper accordingly and remain calm in risky situations, which might be life threatening (Thomson 45). SWAT members should have an advanced training and expertise in weaponry, which encompass a wide range of weapons, and know how to use the weapons in stressful situations. They should also have competent oral and written skills for effective communication in critical conditions. Works Cited Clark, Joanna, Jackson, Mary, Schaefer, Peggy, & Gail, Sharpe. Training SWAT teams: implications for improving tactical units. Journal of Criminal Justice 28(5) Sep. 2000: 407-413. Print. Dempsey, John & Forst, Linda. An Introduction to Policing. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. Jones, Tony. Tactical communications manual for SWAT operations. New York: Paladin, 1998. Print. Snow, Robert. Swat teams: explosive face-offs with Americas deadliest criminals. London: Perseus Books, 1996. Print. Thomson, Lorey. Hostage Rescue Manual: Tactics of the Counter-Terrorist Professionals. New York: Greenhill Books, 2006. Print. Todd, Tank. Military Combative Masters of the 20th Century. 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