At my agency if 170 sworn, you go through SWAT selection and if you make it, you’re place on the perimeter team. You’ll be there for a few years, I think the longest I’ve seen someone be on perimeter is 5 or 6 years. I’m not on SWAT but is it common practice to be placed on perimeter for a time before going to marksman and entry teams? How do your teams work?
For my old team you were on probation going through FTO for a year. At the end of the year the team voted whether to give you the SWAT pin or not. Mostly guys got it. It was rare for someone not to pass. Most of those who didn’t got extended to see if they could improve. It was a grueling year. You were basically a prospect and you got a lot of the shitty jobs. You had every eye on the team watching you during trainings and callouts. FTOs got a lot of data from other team members.
On the other hand you were getting a buttload of training during that year. Generally guys could gravitate to the specialized positions after they passed FTO. Yes you were on perimeter a lot but we always had an ATL or senior member leading the perimeter element. At some point during the year they might put you on a lower risk entry to see how you did. Generally you’d shoot some gas during a callout at some point. My FTO basically told me I was going to chemical agents because they needed some people. I was happy because I’m a crazy gas guy. I got to shoot and deploy a lot of gas.
The entry team was usually senior guys who’d been on the team five plus years. Once you were on three to five years you’d start getting put on entries. You might have five years on and get put on a perimeter position but we did not have guys on five years permanently on perimeters.
We put guys through a lot of training after they got pinned. Everyone went through general instructor school and we tried to put everyone through the firearms instructor school. Gas guys generally went to week long schools to become chemical agent instructors. If you were assigned to snipers you trained an extra four hours every week.
ETA My team was about thirty to thirty five members for an agency of 800+ Officers.
Just a dog chauffeur that used to hold the dumb end of the leash.
That’s how we did things when I got on the team in ‘03. After we merged with the County that went away as a formal thing, but new guys for the most part spent some time on perimeter. Once the Commander was comfortable with their performance they’d get added to entry teams. Usually towards the back of the stack and then progressively forward.
We cross train all our specialized spots (snipers, gas guys and DMRs) so that everyone can be slotted into entry if the need arises.
Formerly known as xpd54.
The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions or policies of my employer.
www.gunsnobbery.wordpress.com
In both my agency and another agency where I worked on a task force prospective SWAT or SRT members go through a selection and then placed in a “green team” status. They do OJT perimeter, and/or drive the bearcat while receiving OJT/FTO training in preparation for attending the agencies SWAT school.Originally Posted by AdequatleySupervised
After several months of green team time, individuals will go to the agency, swat school, if they make it through, they will usually continue perimeter and driver duties until they have at least a year on.
copy that this is just how both agencies do it in my city, in other offices / cities things may be done differently.
Our part-time team is exactly the same. We don't call it green team but they are vehicle guys first, then move to perimeter, then entry. Only after SWAT school do they qualify to be thought of for entry. We do teach backs throughout the first year to gauge retention of fundamentals.
I'm retired now, but my old place (at one time 2198 sworn, now I think around 1350), the Special Operations Group consisted of 3 separate elements: HNT (Negotiators), the Specialist Team (Countersniper/Snipers, perimeter containment, Gas deployment, Exterior Ground Arrest), and SWAT. The Specialist Team had a completely different testing/Selection and training program from the SWAT team. Both tests had PT components, marksmanship tests, and interviews. The SWAT team was a full-time unit of at its height around 50 officers, that conducted training on a weekly basis. The Specialist Team (around 70 sworn at its height) were 'part timers', in that they were assigned to patrol, conducted bi-monthly training (except the 8-10 designated snipers, who trained monthly or more), and responded to critical incident call-outs or assisted SWAT with Search Warrants. Probationary officers with both teams can expect to spend a lot of time with the Command Post element.
Currently, the testing process for both units is undergoing significant change, in support of the 30 by 30 effort. City HR has essentially taken over the process. A former coworker told me that the next SWAT test will be a Pass/Fail PT test, no marksmanship test (you guys are gonna teach them anyway, right?), and will be 'scored' entirely based off of the interview....the panel for which will consist of a female deputy chief, 2 female Commanders, and the captain of the Tactical Unit who has no special operations background but is wondering what he did wrong in his last life to deserve this nightmare. Guess we'll see if the revolution succeeds.
I forgot to put in that in my post.
Just a dog chauffeur that used to hold the dumb end of the leash.
I was already on the team at my old agency when we implemented a perimeter team. The guys on the perimeter team do not receive the SWAT incentive pay and may or may not receive all the SWAT equipment. We picked from the perimeter guys when paid SWAT positions opened up.
Before we had a perimeter team, it was common practice to not let new guys go on entries for a bit, even if they had been through SWAT school, etc.
I also should have added that guys could not operate as a full member of the team in any capacity until they had completed a basic SWAT school. Guys who express interest in the team may get sent to a SWAT school ahead of time depending on budget and manpower restrictions. Never hurts to have SWAT trained patrol guys.
Or they may put themselves through. Years ago I went to a basic SWAT course at Blackwater before I was selected for the team. I was single and had plenty of disposable income at the time.
Formerly known as xpd54.
The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions or policies of my employer.
www.gunsnobbery.wordpress.com
We used the SWAT school as the final part of the test for SWAT. You had to pass to move on. We used it to rate the new guys. If there were three slots and five guys testing the better you did in the school the better you got a slot. Teamwork was desired and it behooved you to help the other recruits. Our Tactical Unit required everyone to go through the school so there were usually the SWAT recruits and a mix of K9, Bomb, and Negotiators going through.
Just a dog chauffeur that used to hold the dumb end of the leash.
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