THE WAY WE LIVE NOW
SALIENT FACTS: SWAT TEAM
Hometown Commandos
During the recent shootings in Littleton, Colo., fully equipped
Special Weapons and Assault Teams were on the scene,
carrying some pretty heavy accessories. Such units -- highly
trained local and state police officers called in for dangerous
situations that require special equipment or firepower -- have
become standard crime-fighting tools in even the smallest and
most placid cities. And they're likely to keep growing.
Herewith, a review of the troops. By CHRIS MITCHELL
EQUIPMENT
For each person:
Ballistic vest or body armor
($1,200-$1,500)
Kevlar helmet ($250)
Fire-retardant jumpsuit ($265) and
gloves ($30)
Ballistic face shield ($325)
Boots ($100-$150), kneepads
($20) and elbow pads ($15-$20)
9mm. semiautomatic handgun
($600)
Shoulder-fired submachine gun like Heckler and Koch's MP-5
($1,500-$2,000)
Light attachments for both guns ($325)
Gas mask ($100-$150)
Radio headset ($300-$900)
Climbing and rappelling gear ($200)
For each team:
Ballistic shields ($1,700-$2,100 each) and high-intensity lamps ($3,000
each)
Breaching equipment: sledgehammer ($100), battering rams ($435 for a
50-pounder), halligan tools ($200 each), a hydraulic jamb-spreader
($750-$1,400), a firefighter's chain saw ($3,000) and exothermic cutting
torches ($2,700-$3,100)
Chemical grenades, baton or "bean bag" rounds and dedicated launchers
($4,000-$5,000)
Flash-bang grenades ($25 each)
PURPOSE
SWAT officers are trained to deal with all types of emergencies -- civil
disturbances, natural disasters, hostage situations and bomb scares -- but
their most frequent assignments are serving "no-knock" search warrants,
during which they seize drugs or other contraband. And in places where
there isn't a lot of door-bashing work to go around, they find creative ways
of making themselves useful. The 28-member Special Response Unit in
Greenwich, Conn., for example, performs animal containment when the
circus comes to town and crowd control when lottery jackpots top $1
million.
MANPOWER AND COST
Nine out of 10 American cities with populations above 50,000 maintain their
own SWAT teams, resulting in a nationwide force estimated at 60,000. A
full-time, 18-member unit costs approximately $1.3 million a year in salaries
and benefits; training could be $100,000. Equipment maintenance and
practice ammo runs $30,000 a year. Federal drug-war outlays cover some
of the tab, and the Pentagon has given local police forces more than a million
pieces of military hardware in recent years, including 73 grenade launchers
and 112 armored personnel carriers.
TRAINING
Full-time tactical units spend a lot of time training -- one day is
recommended for every three spent in the field. Often, this training is
conducted by the F.B.I., major weapons manufacturers and retired Navy
seals. Interested civilians can get similar instruction through private outfits. At
the New Hampshire-based Lethal Force Institute, weeklong introductory
courses ($600; character references, from attorneys or government officials,
required) include street gunfighting lessons, 16 hours of "intensive combat
shooting" and tips on "justifying your actions in court."
THE FUTURE
Violent crime is down, and the public has grown increasingly outraged at the
many incidents of excessive force and wrongful arrest that SWAT teams
have been linked to. Investigators are also looking into shortcomings in the
Littleton SWAT team's response (like their methodical advance on the
suspects and faulty communications systems). Still, in the wake of that
tragedy, professionals anticipate that SWAT budgets will expand to include
bomb experts and better explosives training. "What you have here is a
trendsetting crime," says Massad Ayoob, head of the Lethal Force Institute.
And out on the horizon, the SWAT industry's next big meal ticket is just
coming into view: biological terrorism. This year alone, the Department of
Justice budgeted about $70 million to equip U.S. cities for rapid response to
biological attacks. A high-profile anthrax scare or two should keep the funds
coming.
May 30, 1999
Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company
SALIENT FACTS: SWAT TEAM
Hometown Commandos
During the recent shootings in Littleton, Colo., fully equipped
Special Weapons and Assault Teams were on the scene,
carrying some pretty heavy accessories. Such units -- highly
trained local and state police officers called in for dangerous
situations that require special equipment or firepower -- have
become standard crime-fighting tools in even the smallest and
most placid cities. And they're likely to keep growing.
Herewith, a review of the troops. By CHRIS MITCHELL
EQUIPMENT
For each person:
Ballistic vest or body armor
($1,200-$1,500)
Kevlar helmet ($250)
Fire-retardant jumpsuit ($265) and
gloves ($30)
Ballistic face shield ($325)
Boots ($100-$150), kneepads
($20) and elbow pads ($15-$20)
9mm. semiautomatic handgun
($600)
Shoulder-fired submachine gun like Heckler and Koch's MP-5
($1,500-$2,000)
Light attachments for both guns ($325)
Gas mask ($100-$150)
Radio headset ($300-$900)
Climbing and rappelling gear ($200)
For each team:
Ballistic shields ($1,700-$2,100 each) and high-intensity lamps ($3,000
each)
Breaching equipment: sledgehammer ($100), battering rams ($435 for a
50-pounder), halligan tools ($200 each), a hydraulic jamb-spreader
($750-$1,400), a firefighter's chain saw ($3,000) and exothermic cutting
torches ($2,700-$3,100)
Chemical grenades, baton or "bean bag" rounds and dedicated launchers
($4,000-$5,000)
Flash-bang grenades ($25 each)
PURPOSE
SWAT officers are trained to deal with all types of emergencies -- civil
disturbances, natural disasters, hostage situations and bomb scares -- but
their most frequent assignments are serving "no-knock" search warrants,
during which they seize drugs or other contraband. And in places where
there isn't a lot of door-bashing work to go around, they find creative ways
of making themselves useful. The 28-member Special Response Unit in
Greenwich, Conn., for example, performs animal containment when the
circus comes to town and crowd control when lottery jackpots top $1
million.
MANPOWER AND COST
Nine out of 10 American cities with populations above 50,000 maintain their
own SWAT teams, resulting in a nationwide force estimated at 60,000. A
full-time, 18-member unit costs approximately $1.3 million a year in salaries
and benefits; training could be $100,000. Equipment maintenance and
practice ammo runs $30,000 a year. Federal drug-war outlays cover some
of the tab, and the Pentagon has given local police forces more than a million
pieces of military hardware in recent years, including 73 grenade launchers
and 112 armored personnel carriers.
TRAINING
Full-time tactical units spend a lot of time training -- one day is
recommended for every three spent in the field. Often, this training is
conducted by the F.B.I., major weapons manufacturers and retired Navy
seals. Interested civilians can get similar instruction through private outfits. At
the New Hampshire-based Lethal Force Institute, weeklong introductory
courses ($600; character references, from attorneys or government officials,
required) include street gunfighting lessons, 16 hours of "intensive combat
shooting" and tips on "justifying your actions in court."
THE FUTURE
Violent crime is down, and the public has grown increasingly outraged at the
many incidents of excessive force and wrongful arrest that SWAT teams
have been linked to. Investigators are also looking into shortcomings in the
Littleton SWAT team's response (like their methodical advance on the
suspects and faulty communications systems). Still, in the wake of that
tragedy, professionals anticipate that SWAT budgets will expand to include
bomb experts and better explosives training. "What you have here is a
trendsetting crime," says Massad Ayoob, head of the Lethal Force Institute.
And out on the horizon, the SWAT industry's next big meal ticket is just
coming into view: biological terrorism. This year alone, the Department of
Justice budgeted about $70 million to equip U.S. cities for rapid response to
biological attacks. A high-profile anthrax scare or two should keep the funds
coming.
May 30, 1999
Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company
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