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But most solo officers or those in pairs don’t have a high expectation of an armed response when responding to a routine call. I mean, there is a certain backgr

But most solo officers or those in pairs don’t have a high expectation of an armed response when responding to a routine call. I mean, there is a certain background expectation of encountering violence for a police officer, but when a SWAT team is called that expectation is basically a certainty. So while the officers may be trained, they are intending to act forcefully from the outset. I think the best thing to come from this is tempering that expectation with the possibility that a call could be swatting.

gingerbread-man 8y ago
You'd be surprised by how many SWAT calls are anticlimactic: basically all of them. The #1 thing SWAT teams do is serve high-risk search warrants on drug houses at 4am when everyone inside is asleep. Contrast that with a rookie officer who just got dispatched to a "house, five hostages inside, caller says they're being held at gunpoint."
- pas 8y ago
  Executing high-risk search warrants on drug houses seems pretty intense, even if they don't have to fire a single bullet. Most of the cases involves people that are armed and might be under the influence of some drug, making their behavior erratic and irrational. And for this SWAT seems to be necessary. Checking out prank calls in the middle of the day should not require them, unless it's a real hostage situation. (Answering a home invasion without securing the perimeter seems a very dumb idea, yet that happens most of the case, the "team" stands around at the front door yelling and then breaching the door.)
- maxxxxx 8y ago
  All these situation should be handled by surrounding the house with overwhelming force and then calmly assessing the situation, not just running in after a few seconds.
- tehwebguy 8y ago
  Sounds to me like this is 100% unnecessary and only happens because cops/SWAT think it sounds more fun to suit up & kick in some doors at 4:00 AM than to do proper boring surveillance and wait outside in the daylight.
  - gingerbread-man 8y ago
    They definitely do surveillance, but the risk of somebody (officer or suspect) getting shot is much lower if the cops go in when everyone else is asleep. Of course, it leads to some interesting conversations: "Ok buddy, you're under arrest. Time to put some pants on."

gingerbread-man 8y ago

You'd be surprised by how many SWAT calls are anticlimactic: basically all of them. The #1 thing SWAT teams do is serve high-risk search warrants on drug houses at 4am when everyone inside is asleep. Contrast that with a rookie officer who just got dispatched to a "house, five hostages inside, caller says they're being held at gunpoint."

pas 8y ago
Executing high-risk search warrants on drug houses seems pretty intense, even if they don't have to fire a single bullet. Most of the cases involves people that are armed and might be under the influence of some drug, making their behavior erratic and irrational. And for this SWAT seems to be necessary. Checking out prank calls in the middle of the day should not require them, unless it's a real hostage situation. (Answering a home invasion without securing the perimeter seems a very dumb idea, yet that happens most of the case, the "team" stands around at the front door yelling and then breaching the door.)
maxxxxx 8y ago
All these situation should be handled by surrounding the house with overwhelming force and then calmly assessing the situation, not just running in after a few seconds.
tehwebguy 8y ago
Sounds to me like this is 100% unnecessary and only happens because cops/SWAT think it sounds more fun to suit up & kick in some doors at 4:00 AM than to do proper boring surveillance and wait outside in the daylight.
- gingerbread-man 8y ago
  They definitely do surveillance, but the risk of somebody (officer or suspect) getting shot is much lower if the cops go in when everyone else is asleep. Of course, it leads to some interesting conversations: "Ok buddy, you're under arrest. Time to put some pants on."