How to Join Special Weapons & Tactics
Special Weapons and Tactics teams, or SWAT teams, are specially selected, trained and equipped law enforcement personnel deployed to resolve incidents of high risk and difficulty, such as hostage situations, barricaded suspects and the apprehension of heavily armed criminals. SWAT team members are selected from among the most elite of a police department's officers, receive extensive training and are outfitted with special tools and weapons, such as armored cars, stun grenades, sub machine guns, night vision goggles and body armor. Because of the danger and responsibility inherent in their work, the process for becoming a SWAT team member is arduous.
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Instructions
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Pay your dues. Most police departments require that an officer serve a certain number of years on the force before becoming eligible to join SWAT, often between three and five. Rookies are generally forbidden from applying because they do not have sufficient experience to be an asset to the team.
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Stay in shape. SWAT work is often physically demanding, so team members must be in top shape. Most police forces require applicants to meet certain physical benchmarks. SWAT team members in Detroit, for instance, must be able to run 3 miles in 25 minutes, and then be able to perform a certain number of push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups within a certain period of time. Other forces sometimes include obstacle courses as well, to measure mind-body coordination and visual acuity.
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Pass the test. Most applicants to SWAT teams face a battery of tests before they can become members. These include oral and written exams, in which the applicants are quizzed on their knowledge of the law and their responses to particular scenarios, and psychological tests, in which applicants' mental strength and toughness are examined.
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Keep a clean record. When applying to SWAT, your overall record as a police officer will be examined and critiqued. Commendations and meritorious service count for you; demerits and negatives citations lessen your chances of making it onto a team with little room for mistakes.
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Stay on people's good side. Most SWAT teams subject you to a background check, either a formal or informal one, in which your colleagues, supervisors and even friends or relatives must answer questions about your personality, habits and past.
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Do the training. Both before and during your time on the SWAT team, you will receive special training particular to the needs of your team. This training might include lessons on sniper skills, explosives, marksmanship, rappelling and roping techniques, the use of tasers, and methods of crowd control.
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