SWAT teams and how they work

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Published: February 26, 2008

We have a video clip of a group of officers walking behind a single protective shield.  Each officer has a gun pointed out the side to protect the group from angles not covered by the shield.  They are in a training exercise, prepared for anything—inching forward against a gunman or some other danger they can’t see.

We seldom see tactical teams in action shots like that, because when they really respond the media is on the outside looking in.

“We’re talking barricaded situations, subjects with guns, “ said Captain Curtis Davis with Roanoke City Police.

Davis explained that the team is made up of 22 members, plus 2 co-commanders and five negotiators.  These are officers whose training goes beyond day to day police work.

“Mainly special weapons is the main point.  There are a variety of weapons that you can bring to a scene that we do not routinely train patrol officers to use.  And then tactics, we’re talking specialized tactics, how we secure a residence or do a search,” said Davis.

“Be assertive, be authoritative, hands out, palms up, don’t move.”

That’s was the no nonsense instruction we received in August of 2004, when Roanoke invited members of the media and others interested in police work to a day of tactical training at the department’s Dixie Caverns facility, that includes a shooting range, police driving area, and a specially designed house for teams to practice taking out bad guys.

I remember putting on 60 pounds of special vests, helmets and bullet-proofing.  Officers told me that you get “used to it,” but they were clearly amused by how uncomfortable we everyday citizens felt.  It only got worse as our poorly trained team entered the house and attempted to shoot hidden drug dealers before they shot us. 

The real police watched us from the exposed rafters, and said at least one member or our team probably would have died. 

I know there was one time I should have shot, but didn’t.  We were using what police call “simmunition” for simulated ammunition, but it was amazingly hard to pull the trigger.

During that same day we fired pistols, practiced taking down suspects, and shot sniper rifles.  It’s a tough business.  And Davis says, training as a team is critical.

“You need the team to train together to understand how they operate together. … It’s similar to a sport football team, basketball team, you’ve got to know what the other person is thinking, how they are going to react,” he said. 

“One of the things that we have found is most officers under stress react to training very well.  So if we train together as a team we know what to expect with the person in front of us or behind us and we are much more effective,” Davis added.

Unless you live in a major city the local tact team is not likely to be full time.  That means there is not a room full of armor suited police officers just waiting for the call to go bust into a building or save a hostage.  Davis said that Roanoke’s and as far as he knew, all of the tact teams in this part of the state are part time.

“We alert them. What happens is we contact them normally through phone, they’ll be home or on duty and they’ll come together to a certain location based on what the tactical commander has dictated,” Davis explained.  He said that the officers come from all parts of the department.  They do their regular jobs until called upon for a special operation.  Usually then they gather and are dispersed as needed.