SWAT Tactics
Before deploying, a SWAT team will review the situation at hand.
The officers will be briefed on the mission: the kind of mission (such
as serving a warrant, arresting a suspect, hostage rescue, or others),
the physical layout of the target (the architecture of any buildings
involved, for example), any available intelligence on the target, and
the actual tactical plan to be used.
In a typical arrest mission, the SWAT team will attempt to move in
unnoticed, if possible, to prevent the suspect from fleeing. Once
on-site and in place, the team will attempt to resolve the situation as
quickly as possible.
SWAT is very much reserved in terms of hostage rescue/barricaded suspect
situations. The idea behind a SWAT mission is to leave with the fewest
number of casualties possible. This involves incapacitating or
restraining suspects rather than using lethal force at any opportunity.
Although SWAT is equipped to use force, they generally keep casualties
to a minimum, if possible, to bring suspects into custody.
In some SWAT call-up situations, stealth entry and movement techniques
are used to conceal the presence of the SWAT officers. Stealth movement
is used when an area is small enough to move through quickly but
silently, or when there is no immediate threat to officer or hostage
safety. However, when obstacles or building size prevent effective
stealth entries, a team may force its way into an area using dynamic
entry tactics if needed. The team would move in to arrest the suspect
rapidly using violence of action and distraction techniques to confuse
and startle the suspects. Oftentimes, the strike is so quick that the
suspect is incapable of resisting in a significant manner.
Other missions require different tactics. In hostage rescue situations,
the team will form a perimeter around the area, and call in negotiators
to attempt a peaceful resolution. If the use of force is deemed
necessary, then the SWAT team will attack to neutralize any threats to
the hostages. Again, dynamic entry tactics are used to gain quick
entrance to any building involved in the situation. Non-lethal
flash-bangs may be employed in such dynamic entrances to temporarily
blind and deafen all persons in a room for several seconds, providing a
window of opportunity for the team to restrain or otherwise neutralize
suspects.
Furthermore, some SWAT entry teams will use the "stealth to contact"
method. This involves entering the structure in a stealth entry (a.k.a.
stealth probe), but as soon as contact is made, the entry team will
begin dynamic tactics.
Most SWAT entry missions are dynamic entries as this limits the amount
of threat to the officers and offers the best chance of arresting the
suspects without violence. Such missions typically use multiple
employments of flashbangs and bang-sticks, CS gas, K-9 dogs, breaking of
doors and windows, sirens, and shouted verbal commands to enforce
compliance from the startled and shocked suspects.
SWAT equipment
SWAT teams use equipment designed for close-quarters combat (CQB) 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.
Individual clothing and equipment usually consists of fire-proof Nomex
coveralls or flightsuits, a body armor vest, an outer tactical vest for
carrying ammunition and other gear, Nomex or other tactical gloves,
balaclava or protective face covering, protective eye goggles, Kevlar
helmet or gas mask, flashlight (usually a Surefire or the like), combat
boots, flexi-cuffs, and thigh ammo pouches. While a wide variety of
weapons are used by SWAT teams, the usual weapons include submachine
guns, carbines, assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, flashbang
(concussion) and tear gas grenades, and semi-automatic handguns. Popular
submachine guns used by SWAT teams include the 9mm Heckler & Koch MP5
and 10mm MP5/10 (use by the FBI HRT and US Capitol Police), with or
without suppressors. Common rifles include the M16 and M4 Carbine. To
breach doors quickly, battering rams, shotguns, or explosive charges can
be used to break the lock or hinges, or even demolish the door frame
itself.
Well-funded SWAT units may also employ armored cars for insertion,
maneuvering, or during the actual assault. Helicopters may be used to
provide aerial reconnaissance or even insertion via rappelling. To avoid
detection during insertion in urban environments, SWAT units may also
use modified buses, vans, trucks, or other seemingly normal vehicles.
For tactical reconnaissance purposes, a team may be equipped with
binoculars, fiber optic cameras, thermal cameras, mirror rigs, or a
variety of audio or video surveillance equipment. In nighttime
operations, SWAT units may be equipped with night vision goggles.
Source: Wikipedia
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