Saw on Drudge they used a swat to raid a guy over unpaid student loans.
So they want non thinking gorillas, there's a shocker there....sarcasm intended
Link to another SWAT blunder, served a warrant issued by the Dept of Education over student loans. http://www.news10.net/news/article/141108/2/Questions-surround-feds-raid-of-Stockton-home
Well, yes. That's true. But the real problem (as seen in the Guerena case) is that SWAT seem to have been given de facto power of life and death. Have any members of that murderous death-squad been charged yet?
And now SWAT are being used for debt collection! No matter how well trained they are, that is wrong.
Well, if we must have them, how about restricting them to one state-run team per state? Surely the real need for SWAT support is so uncommon that one team per state - and a standby helicopter to transport them - would suffice?
Most SWAT teams should be disbanded. They create more problems than they solve. Maybe a State level SWAT team would work. Major cities might need one if crime is out of control. Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami?
And let's not forget this jack-booted thug.
I’m increasingly hearing the term swat team used as a verb. As in, they swat-teamed him.
Not a good trend.
SWAT teams need to go, period.
The Case for SWAT Teams (Mend them, don't end them.)
So much bull shit, so little time.
That and the fact that after receiving all their new shiny "toys" from Uncle Sam, they are like little boys on Christmas morning and can't wait to use them...even if in situations which are uncalled for.
They need to be held accountable for their actions and whatever government body in which they are located should enact some very strict guidelines when they can be deployed.
Secondly, they should be afforded no immunity for their conduct and if thru negligence or over enthusiasm, cause destruction of property or harm innocent individuals, they should be held PERSONALLY liable as well as jointly with the local/state government.
Also, if they operate in an honorable and prescribed manner, WHY need to hide (like cowards or terrorists) their identities by wearing masks?
Waaaaaay too many have let their power go to their heads as they know regardless of their actions (they mostly have unfettered power of life and death over those they "target") very, very few are held accountable for their actions.
IMHO, it will take several incidents whereby a homeowner decides (RIGHTLY) to protect his castle and some of these "Cowboy Jackbooted Thugs" begin to get carried out in body bags for any serious thought and discussions of their usefulness to be reconsidered.
A full time SWAT team with nothing to do but train most of the time would appear to be a costly problem waiting to happen. SWAT trained and equipped patrol officers assigned on each shift are a sensible alternative, and are less likely to be abused simply because they are readily available.
Click the link to be added to the "Whoops. Sorry, citizen. We thought you were someone else" PING list.
SWAT == Barney Fife’s w/ multiple bullets in the gun rather than one in the pocket.
Mend (reform) them? You need first to make a credible argument for their existence. In my view that would be very very difficult to do.
End them.
No more often than those situations occur they could more economically be handled by a small number of national guard units.
So ad this to MP training and go through the state Governor's office for hostage situations.
What’s wrong with training regular police officers how to negotiate terrorist/hostage situations? Seems to me like many state and municipal governments are wasting money by hiring and training these officers; very few cities have a high enough crime rate to justify a SWAT team and their cool new toys.
Is it just me or do the SWAT teams seem to be acting more and more like the Gestapo? Abuse of power is always a possibility in any LEO but when you grant officers shiny new weapons, complete anonymity, and total immunity from the consequences of their actions, abuse is more likely to occur.
Where is the case for them? I get sick of the generic in case of (fill-in-the-current-boogey-man)...
The job of the police is to protect citizens; the job of the military is to kill enemies. They are not just incompatible; they are irreconcilable.
Nice reference to the SF operator, but the majority of SWAT teams are composed of wanna be's, most of whom would not make it through basic training, much less into SF. Too many innocents have already died at their hands.
There is absolutely no reason for a no-knock warrant. If perps are able to flush drugs down the toilet before the cops get in, then it wasn't going to be much of a bust anyway! As for hostage situations, they generally play crowd control. How many times has a sniper actually been utilized? Even then, that is two individuals who could be trained with a fraction of the resources.
And let's not forget the most important part: SOF teams cannot exist without proper C2. Tactics are great, but only strategy wins wars. The lack of oversight, intelligence, and control is what leads to these incidents. If a SF team went rogue, I guarantee that heads would roll at HQ. There is no equivalent authority or accountability in LEOs.
The only even semi-legitimate purpose of a swat team is a hostage situation. Problem with that, though is 1. Those types of situations are extraordinarily rare. 2. They rarely achieve their objective. For many years, the FBI’s HRT had a perfect record in hostage situations: everyone they were attempting to ‘save’ died, many at the hands of the HRT itself.
Of course SWAT teams should not be fully abolished. They are quite necessary in hostage situations and some Columbine like situations. But they should be abolished for 99% of what they are used for now.