Posted: 3/19/2007 11:51:03 AM EDT
| what are the general SWAT requirements i know it can depend on your station but more specifically is military background a must or just a plus? |
The only "general" requirement that I know of is that you be a dang good cop for a number of years. (i.e. maintains an excellent record, solid reputation, high test/weapon qual. scores, etc) After one gets that far, he goes from there. I've not heard of a department that requires any military experience, and I doubt that there is one. |
+1 A history of GOOD JUDGEMENT is big with the SWAT dude that I've spent the most time interviewing. Stuff like... Not shooting in a perfectly justifiable scenario because your smarts and tactics allowed you the chance to avoid using lethal force, giving the OC enough time to do its thing, and having the guy drop his AX while you put your car between you and the threat. (that's a real example) |
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Our department is 2200 sworn officers and we have a full time dedicated division of around 45-50 operators (depending on staffing). So that is around 2 percentile give or take. Given that we have a 10 year cap on remaining in the division, unless if you hold an time exempt position, openings in the division are far and few between. Either an officers time has to run out or they get promoted and have to leave. So suffice it to say that getting into our SWAT team is very difficult. Many other large departments with dedicated units are similar. Having said that, many departments have a minimum time before an applicant is considered. Our department is usually around the 5 to 7 year mark of department time for new guys. We also have a basic pre-acceptance phsyical fitness test that must be passed, even prior to other considerations. It is nothing over the top, but definatley requires someone to be in good physical condition. For our department and many other departments, prior military service, even special forces, gives you no special consideration. We have had to weed out a couple of prior guys with military, spec ops backgrounds. If you are finally accepted into our division you must then pass a very comprehensive 8 week SWAT school, that covers all aspects of SWAT work. From basic SWAT to advanced tactics. We cover, in depth, any aspect of SWAT. Our SWAT school is where the final weeding out takes place. It is very difficult and even our ex-military and spec forces guys say that our school rivals any school that they have attended. So be physically and mentally prepared the entire time you try out for the teams in your area as they may be similar. In addition, even though you may be assigned to our division you will not be able to perform any tactical related duties until successful completion of the SWAT school. This is just a small sample of what may or may not be expected from different teams. The way our teams selects its candidates and operate, may be similar to other large departments with dedicated units. FWIW - I get asked all the time, by people who are thinking about going into LE, who say, I want to be SWAT but don't want to do traffic duties or work in patrol. I usually tell them, to look for a different job. You must have the passion to be a police officer first and foremost. You will need to prove yourself on the road and earn your reputation on the road before you are even considered for most SWAT teams. |