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__Overview__: SWAT stands for special weapons and tactics and started in 1960 in Los Angeles. The idea for this team was due to many sniping incidents that targeted civilians and officers around the United States of America. Officer John Nelson developed the idea of SWAT and presented to inspector Darryl F. Gates who approved of the idea of a specially train group to handle high risk encounters. The first SWAT team consisted of fifteen four man groups. The members of each group had specialized experience and a military background. Each team had monthly training (History of SWAT). SWAT’s primary mission is to provide its department capable individuals who can safely resolve high risk situations like: hostage situations, barricaded suspects, suicidal suspects, high risk arrest, VIP protection details, and counter sniper. SWAT is deployed 200 times annually to help with local, state, and federal agencies. The SWAT team contains one lieutenant, four sergeants and forty officers, but only one sergeant and three officers are full time to make up the SWAT squad. The squad is responsible for vehicles, equipment and weapons. The other forty-one officers have full time jobs within the police department (Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)). __ Requirements __ __Obtain an Education:__ To become an officer of the law a high school diploma is sufficient although many departments require some college education or a college degree. Some community colleges have tactical law enforcement classes and program that cover areas like self-defense, firearms training, tactical operations, search and seizure and tactical report writing. Some colleges have police academy programs and some private industries even offer SWAT programs. __Become a Law Enforcement Officer__: Applicants must be US citizens, twenty-one years of age and meet physical and medical qualifications. There are written and oral exams along with psychological and drug tests that need to be past in order to join. Military experience also helps to obtain the job. __Complete Training Academy__: Recruits have to complete a train academy, which test your physical and mental limit, in order to become part of a police department. The academy goes over topics such as: civil rights, constitutional law, emergency response, self-defense, traffic control and first aid. Depending on the size of the department, the academy is either operated by the agency or regional or state run. __Gain Experience__: Jobs of law enforcement vary by the type of agency and occupational specialty. When an officer gains years of experience, they may request to work of specific types of crime units ranging from narcotics to SWAT. Seek Continuing Education: Once in the SWAT, if one wants to advance leadership positions they must obtain a bachelor’s in either criminal justice, criminology or a related field. Federal law enforcement officers need a Bachelor’s in order to be employed ( Become a SWAT Agent). __Failures in SWAT History__: In Missoulian, Montana on October 12, 2012, the SWAT team was executing a raid on an ongoing narcotics investigation. They tossed a flash bang into a room. The flash bang was attached to a boomstick, a metal pole that detonates the grenade. The police chief St. John said that the grenade normally stays on the boomstick so it goes off in a controlled manner at a higher level but there was a delay. The grenade went off by a little girl and she suffered first and second degree burns. The SWAT received details that the house was a meth lab but the mother of the burn victim says there wasn’t one. They also had information that there were no juveniles in the house but clearly they were wrong. No arrests were made and no charges were filed (Benoit). In Connecticut, heavily armed SWAT members were sent to a house that was supposedly filled with drugs. They dragged out the owner of the house, Ronald Terebesi, and another man Gonzola Guizan and shot the latter to death. Neither of them was armed and a very small amount of recreational drugs was found. The SWAT team denies fault or negligence for the events that happened that day. Chief Solomon argues that the raid was done with a valid warrant. The warrant was based off of a call from an exotic dancer who said she had a dispute with Terebesi. Monroe Officer Sweeney was behind a large shield when he led the team to the house. After the flash bang went off, which blew the hinges off the door, Sweeney exclaimed that he was hit and the SWAT team started shooting. Guizan was shot six times before he died. The team then proceeded to handcuff Terebesi and brought him out of the house. In court, the prosecutors stated that the evidence shows that both men were both hiding in the corner during the shooting. Sweeney was not shot during the raid. He said that he saw the two men charge him and that Guizan tried to grab his gun and that Sweeney had to fire to keep control of his gun. Weir, the officer behind Sweeney, said there was no such fight for the gun and that the men never left the corner they were hiding behind.(Benoit)
 * Obtain an Education
 * Become a Law Enforcement Officer
 * Complete Training Academy
 * Gain Experience
 * Seek Continuing Education

====__The SWAT Success__: In Karachi, Pakistan SWAT arrested a "target killer" who killed eight-teen cops. The arrested militants were planning a massive attack in the city when the police found them with hit lists and weapons. They were caught with 20 kilograms of explosives, two hand grenades and three TT pistols. The police claimed that the suspects belong to TTP’s Abu Mansoor group, which is based in Swat.Alamzaib said that he received training from Taliban commander Akram alias Mohsin and began his terrorist activities in Fatehpur, Swat, where he targeted military and intelligence agency personnel. However, when the military launched its operation, he fled to Karachi and joined forces with a TTP cell led by the Umer Sahab. Later the " target killer" confessed to the killing of the eight-teen officers.(Benoit) ====

Sources [] "History of S.W.A.T." //History of S.W.A.T. - Official Website of THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT//. Los Angles Police Department, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. [] "Purpose And History Of Swat." //Law Essay‚ Dissertation & Model Answer Writers//. N.p., 2003. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. []

"Become a SWAT Agent." //Education Portal//. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. [] "Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)." //Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)//. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. [] Felts, Jeff. "The Hidden Success & Failure Factors." //Centermassinc.com//. Center Mass Inc., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. [] Benoit, Zach. "Grenade Burns Sleeping Girl as SWAT Team Raids Billings Home." //Missoulian.com//. Billings Gazette, 12 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. [] TURLEY, JONATHAN. "SWAT Team Raids Home." //JONATHAN TURLEY//. N.p., 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. [] "NTOA :: Brief History of SWAT | About :: National Tactical Officers Association." //NTOA :: Brief History of SWAT | About :: National Tactical Officers Association//. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2013.