It was rare before SWAT, before the LAPD carried AR-15s in their patrol cars, and before it occurred. It is just a rare crime, even in a large city. I think t

It was rare before SWAT, before the LAPD carried AR-15s in their patrol cars, and before it occurred. It is just a rare crime, even in a large city. I think the theory that there would be copycats is easily disproved: this was their third bank robbery, yet there were no copycats following the first two, nor following their successful armored truck robberies. Those crimes occurred over a period of several years, more than enough time for a copycat to get the guns and armor. On the other hand, paramilitary police teams targeting the wrong house or killing innocent people happens with frequency. It happens every year. Even if only 1/1000th of the raids that occur each year were done in error, you would expect about 40 such mistakes to occur per year. SWAT teams do not need to hide their existence, they are rarely punished for attacking innocent people, and they exist even in small towns.