Who Does SWAT/QRT Bring to the Table?

Those of us in the tactical community know that outsiders think of us as gun-toting, camouflage-wearing, egotistical men and women who like to “fire for effect” and can’t wait to get “Ramboed up” for the next gunfight at the OK corral.  Within SWAT we don’t frankly care because the basic SWAT officer is too busy training our many skill sets, body and mind for the next response to a volatile situation where everyone looks to us to preserve peace and restored order. When a Chief gets a call from his patrol supervisor in the middle of the night in a panic stating that a husband has barricaded himself inside his home with numerous weapons because his wife was cheating on him and that the barricaded man’s favorite magazine deals with how to make a silencer out of a potato, that Chief knows what his next call must be.  He will lean on those officers who have chosen to train harder, sweat more, think out of the box better and who have honed their skill sets to a fine point: the point of the spear. He knows he has a dedicated and disciplined TEAM who will resolve any situation he throws at them.  And if you didn’t realize what group I’m talking about within that Chief’s toolbox—its SWAT and the PEOPLE that make up SWAT teams all over this country, a group often called the Quick Response Team, or QRT.

Let’s get back to our question, “Who does SWAT/QRT bring to the table?”.  The usual question is “What does SWAT/QRT bring to the table?”, but the fact is any agency can acquire the hardware but it is the people of SWAT/QRT that make the real difference: we must first look at your basic SWAT officer and see what makes them suit up every day and run into the maelstrom while everyone else is running away from it.  Most of these dedicated officers, who have attained the title of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), Special Emergency Response Team (SERT), Emergency Service Unit (ESU), Quick Response Team (QRT) or any of the many other titles that SWAT/QRT teams have used over the years, is for the most part the cream of the crop of their agencies.  They excel in their day-to-day duties as K9, detectives, narcotics officers and patrol officers and aren’t those bare minimum types who just squeak by over the years doing just what is asked and nothing more.  They will be the first ones on scene, taking on the challenge of turning a chaotic situation into nothing more than another day at the office when all is said and done.  They will also be the ones that stay late on the range when everyone has gone home in order for them to fine tune their “point shooting” techniques, have a good physical regimen whereas they can take care of themselves in a physical situation and make a difference when needed.  They will be team players who know how vital being part of a team is within the tactical community and not just being the best shooter and PT stud who can’t seem to function within a team setting because his “show off” style.  These officers may be on part time regional teams or the dwindling full time team but no matter which they are on all are familiar with leaving family events or a warm bed at a moments notice and responding when called.  They aren’t the ones that roll over and turn off the pager or refuse to answer the phone on a freezing cold night but the ones that respond when called, plain and simple.

The list could go on and on as to what the makes a good SWAT officer and if you ask 10 people you’d get 10 different answers but these basic things come to mind when describing any SWAT officer: discipline, attention to detail, trustworthy, bravery, dedication and honor.

So now we have the framework for a basic SWAT officer. But what makes them stand out in reference to their training and teamwork abilities we have talked about?  Lets face it, most of the training cops attend throughout our careers consists of classroom instruction during the day and then happy hour at night where we can’t wait to tell our war stories, and most of them are 98% fabrication and 2% truth. Much of the training SWAT officers attend doesn’t follow this format because our days are usually NOT in the classroom but filled with rappelling, less lethal/chemical munitions certifications, countless hours on a range where its always either too hot or too cold, carrying a ballistic shield until your arms are ready to fall off and doing push ups because when you went through the door on a hostage rescue shooting drill you killed the old lady carrying the groceries instead of the terrorist with the AK 47.  It really boils down to the fact that we ask more of ourselves when training and usually don’t look at it as a “scam” class or vacation but to improve on whatever skill set helps the team. 

So, welcome to my web log, or blog, where I will talk about SWAT/QRT issues across the board, from personnel to issues to equipment and everything in between and I’ll throw in a few war stories of my own. And just so you don’t think SWAT officers don’t have some faults — our war stories are also 98% BS and 2% the truth … on a good day.

What are your thoughts on what makes the best SWAT/QRT team member? What is your hiring profile? How do you bring the best people on board, keep them the best and keep them onboard?