What Does S.W.A.T. Stands for?

Question

some people said special weapons assault team.. some said special weapons and tactics...pls help...wad is the criteria and wad they do? how to get more info on the weapons/tools they use?

Answer 1

SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) is a specialized paramilitary tactical unit in many American police departments, which is trained to perform dangerous operations. These can include serving high-risk arrest warrants, performing hostage rescue and/or armed intervention, preventing terrorist attacks, and engaging heavily-armed criminals. SWAT teams are equipped with specialized firearms including submachine guns, shotguns, carbines, riot control agents, stun grenades, and high-powered rifles for marksmen (snipers). They often have specialized equipment including heavy body armor, entry tools, armored vehicles, steel reinforced boots and night vision optics.




SWAT duties include:

* Protecting emergency personnel against snipers;
* Providing high-ground and perimeter security against snipers for visiting dignitaries;
* Providing controlled assault firepower in certain non-riot situations, e.g., barricaded suspects;
* Rescuing officers and citizens captured or endangered by gunfire
* Neutralizing guerilla or terrorist operations.
* Catching people that could be involved in undercover work.
* resolve high-risk situations with a minimum loss of life, injury or property damage,
* resolve situations involving barricaded subjects, (see specifically HBT )
* stabilize situations involving high-risk suicidal subjects,
* provide assistance on drug raids, arrest warrants and search warrants,
* provide additional security at special events,

The first significant deployment of LAPD's SWAT unit was on December 9, 1969, in a four-hour confrontation with members of the Black Panthers. The Panthers finally surrendered, with only three Panthers and three officers being injured. By 1974, there was a general acceptance of SWAT as a resource for the city and county of Los Angeles.

On the afternoon of May 17, 1974, elements of a group which called itself the "Symbionese Liberation Army" (SLA), a group of heavily-armed leftists, barricaded themselves in a residence on East 54th Street at Compton Avenue. Coverage of the siege was broadcast to millions via television and radio and featured in the world press for days after. Negotiations were opened with the barricaded suspects on numerous occasions, both prior to and after the introduction of tear gas. Police units did not fire until the SLA had fired several volleys of semi-automatic and fully automatic gunfire at them. In spite of the 3,772 rounds fired by the SLA, no uninvolved citizens or police officers sustained injury from gunfire.

During the gun battle, a fire erupted inside the residence. The cause of the fire is officially unknown, although police sources speculated that an errant round ignited one of the suspects' Molotov cocktails. Others suspect that the repeated use of tear gas grenades, which function by burning chemicals at high temperatures, started the structure fire. All six of the suspects suffered multiple gunshot wounds and perished in the ensuing blaze.



By the time of the SLA shoot-out, SWAT teams had reorganized into six 10-man teams, each team consisting of two five-man units, called elements. An element consisted of an element leader, two assaulters, a scout, and a rear-guard. The normal complement of weapons was a high-power anti-sniper rifle (apparently a .243-caliber bolt-action, judging from the ordnance expended by officers at the shootout), two .223-caliber semi-automatic rifles, and two shotguns. SWAT officers also carried their service revolvers in shoulder holsters. The normal gear issued them included a first aid kit, gloves, and a gas mask. In fact it was a change just to have police armed with semi-automatic rifles, at a time when officers were usually issued six-shot revolvers and shotguns. The encounter with the heavily-armed Symbionese Liberation Army, however, sparked a trend towards SWAT teams being issued body armor and fully automatic weapons of various types.

The Columbine High School massacre in 1999 was another seminal event in SWAT tactics and police response. As noted in an article in the Christian Science Monitor, “[i]nstead of being taught to wait for the SWAT team to arrive, street officers are receiving the training and weaponry to take immediate action during incidents that clearly involve suspects' use of deadly force.” [3]

The article further reported that street officers were increasingly being armed with rifles, and issued heavy body armor and ballistic helmets, items traditionally associated with SWAT units. The idea is to train and equip street officers to make a rapid response to so-called active-shooter situations. In these situations, it was no longer acceptable to simply set up a perimeter and wait for SWAT.

As an example, in the policy and procedure manual of the Minneapolis, Minnesota, Police Department, it is stated, "MPD personnel shall remain cognizant of the fact that in many active shooter incidents, innocent lives are lost within the first few minutes of the incident. In some situations, this dictates the need to rapidly assess the situation and act quickly in order to save lives." [4]

With this shift in police response, SWAT units remain in demand for their traditional roles as hostage rescue, counter-terrorist operations, and serving high-risk warrants.

Answer 2

S.W.A.T. is an police expression which stands for 'Special Weapons and Tactics'

'Special Weapons Assault Team' would be a rather politically incorrect term for a Police Department to use, all those 'touchy feely' civilians would get bent out of shape...

Answer 3

Special Weapons Assault Team

Answer 4

SWAT Special Weapons And Tactics..

a specialized unit in many American police departments, which is trained to perform dangerous operations. These can include serving high-risk arrest warrants, performing hostage rescue and/or armed intervention, preventing terrorist attacks, and engaging heavily-armed criminals. SWAT teams are equipped with specialized firearms including sub machine guns, shotguns, carbines, riot control agents, stun grenades, and high-powered rifles for marksmen (snipers). They often have specialized equipment including heavy body armor, entry tools, armored vehicles, steel reinforced boots and night vision optics.

Answer 5

S.W.A.T- Special Weapons And Tactics. They are trained to perform dangerous operations. Here click here to read more about what they do and what weapons they use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWAT

Answer 6

no, there is no special assault whatever, whoever says that, its because they invented it, it stands for special weapons and tactics, go look it up, dont go for this special weapons assault team, what hell is that, thats not right.

Answer 7

It was originally named Special Weapons Attack Tactics. And was later named Special Weapons And Tactics.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-44,GGLD:en&defl=en&q=define:S.W.A.T&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

Answer 8

Special
Weapons
And
Tactics

Answer 9

WAD as this to do wid da MILITARY??

Its a POLICE UNIT.

Answer 10

strange words at twilight.

OK, so it doesnt mean that, fine.