Thursday, April 15, 2010

S.W.A.T.

Special Weapons and Tactics. Technically J's team has another acronym they go by, but it's the same thing. They are specifically trained for the types of cases that aren't routine police work. Too often that means they train for any and all situations in preparation for all the unknown factors.

For example, they can't possibly be prepared for the layout of every building floorplan in existence. Or for the great unknown of people in those aforementioned buildings. Where could they be, are they armed, are they dangerous, are they innocent, etc.

My brother is on the SWAT team for his county too, so sometimes it's interesting for the two to compare the differences in their training approach.

A particular situation that comes to mind is when they serve a warrant on a meth lab. The sheer volatility of these labs is such that the team is forced to rethink their approach, and severely reduces or eliminates a number of the tools they typically rely on. No flash-bangs, no tasers, even their gas masks can be rendered obsolete.

Meth labs are scary shit in their own right... it makes me nervous when I hear about those warrants.

5 comments:

April E. :) said...

Oh that would be a very unsettling thought. I can only imagine what it must feel like to walk into one of those places...all the unknown factors!

Meadowlark said...

I look at it this way: while the standard officer in Husband's department trains with his duty weapon maybe twice a year, Husband trains in shooting drills, live fire shoot houses, CQB twice a MONTH. I think that improves his chances of being alive and like the odds.

For some reason, meth labs not a huge problem here locally... remote grow ops are more of an issue. And that's just a booby trap or heart attack problem! :)

Is JBs team departmental or interjurisdictional? I have a girlfriend who is putting together a treatment for A&E about a regional team. Even though it may not make it past the pilot, it's still exciting to help.

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mrs. fuzz said...

We have a huge meth problem here. The meth places scare me not just because of the volatility but I hear a lot of stories about long term exposure on cops and the health problem that ensue. I don't like to think about it.

FroneAmy said...

Meadowlark- J's team is county-wide so it consists of multiple departments.