Bret Meyers - Elgin Community College



Bret Meyers

Professor Sarah L. Dye

Argument paper

December 12, 2006

S.W.A.T. Officer

When civilians need help they call the cops, When the cops need help they call

S.W.A.T. Breaking down doors with guns and shields is not an ordinary job, but for

S.W.A.T. officers it is. Police work is a dangerous job. Putting your life on the line to

help people and bring people to justice. Within the Police career there is certain jobs

officers are qualified for. Some police officers are detectives and patrolmen. Police

officers with enough talent are qualified to train For S.W.A.T. Medium to large size

departments have S.W.A.T. units to deal with Warrants at houses and crowd control.

Only the best cops have what it takes To be on S.W.A.T.

All Police officers go through a Tough police academy that trains you the

fundamentals of being a police officer. A S.W.A.T. team is put together by officers who

apply for the job. They are put through intense Physical and psychological test to make

sure they are up for the challenges they will face in the field. After the Applicant has been

qualified for S.W.A.T. Training, the officer will Go through many types of different

situations they will experience in the field. There are different jobs a S.W.A.T. officer has

to choose from, such as Dealing with explosives, sniper training, first-aid, and

negotiations. There are lethal and non-lethal weapons training. Training with submachine

guns and regular handguns and training with Bean bags, tasers, and crowd control

methods. S.W.A.T officers have many pieces of equipment. Certain types of situation

officers will have different gear on. When raiding a house a S.W.A.T. officer will have a

body-armor vest, a load bearing vest for carrying ammunition. Tactical gloves, protective

eye goggles, Kevlar helmet, with may types of guns. The most common guns used are

submachine guns, assault rifles, shotguns, and sniper rifles. Tactical weapons are flash

bangs, and tear gas grenades. Battering rams are used to bash the door open to invade

houses, also explosives charges will be used to breaks locks or hinges. In Extreme

situations vehicles are used to safety purposes, Helicopters and armored cars are used.

S.W.A.T. officers have many different jobs and responsibilities to take as they train to

become an elite police officer.

High to mid-level police departments have their own S.W.A.T. unit. S.W.A.T.

officers make a salary of around 50,000 to 60,000 dollars a year. Different departments

differ in range of how much each officer makes. A police department with a S.W.A.T.

unit is always accepting application for officers. The qualification have to be met in order

to be put into the training.

S.W.A.T. Stand for Special Weapons And Tactics. S.W.A.T. teams have duties to

deal with different types of situations like, non violent ways of dealing with barricaded

suspects, handle hostage situations and suicidal suspects. Every officer wants to deal with

a situation in a non-violent way. Most situation end in a clean arrest, but In few incidents

people have to be taken out for the safety of other people. This career causes all types of

stress on officers not just for S.W.A.T. officers but for police in general. Your given a

duty to protect the innocent and in some cases to do that you have to take some ones life

from them. Some departments have a de-briefing session. Where after a critical incident

the officers can discuss the situation and what they observed or had happen to them so

they don’t hide their feelings to themselves. S.W.A.T. officers have a large amount of

stress on them just to get the job and once they get the job they have another load of

stress to deal with because they have to fight to keep their jobs. A officer usually stays as

a policemen till they are around fifty or they have found themselves not performing they

way the used to. S.W.A.T. officers can get out of their team at any time during their

career to return back to just a patrolmen.

Helping the community and people in need is something that this country needs in

every town and city. Pursuing a Career as a S.W.A.T. officer is a tough job to get but the

job has its payoffs. You get drugs off the streets, rescue people in need, and patrol

neighborhoods. People depend on police officers to do the right thing and help out. What

could be better then making people happy and serving your community in a positive way.

So many gadgets to play with and to learn. Be on a Team with 4 other guys highly stilled

as you are and have fun at work. When police need help they call S.W.A.T!

Sources consulted page

Barnes, Patricia G. Desk References on American Criminal Justice, West Virginia University college of Law 2002

Stinchcomb, James. Law Enforcement and criminal justice careers, New York October 2002

“SWAT team directory” Policeguide 2006.

‘SWAT” Wikipedia 2006.

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