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10 SWAT lessons to live by

We need to remove the obstacles that prevent us from learning and improving our teams, capabilities and operational success

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Richmond SWAT team members leave a Greyhound bus station Thursday, March 31, 2016 in Richmond, Va.

AP Photo/Steve Helber

At the 2017 California Association of Tactical Officers (CATO) Conference, Don Kester of the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) hosted a thought-provoking session on the challenges faced by tactical teams, and the lessons we should be learning from our mistakes.

Sadly, it seems that agencies and tactical teams continue to repeat the same mistakes, indicating we’re not learning from our own experiences or those of our peers. Don identified several reasons for this, and challenged the officers in attendance to remove the obstacles that prevent us from learning and improving our teams, capabilities and operational success.

As a starting point, Don suggested tactical teams focus on the following lessons identified from critical incidents around the nation:

1. Learn to ask “why?”

Don suggested tactical teams need to ask, “Why are we at this call?”

In the current environment, SWAT is frequently called out for situations where it may be inappropriate to deploy, so every callout must begin with an assessment of whether SWAT intervention is justified.

For example, Don addressed the complicated issue of dealing with barricaded, suicidal subjects who have committed no criminal act, and are not a risk to anybody else. In these situations, intervention from a team of mental health and medical professionals may be more appropriate than deploying a SWAT team.

Learning to ask, “Why are we here?” will help to begin the process of risk mitigation, and prevent an inappropriate deployment of a tactical team.

Sometimes the best course of action is recognizing SWAT is not the best solution, and demobilizing the team, but this is only possible with strong communication and leadership skills.

2. Learn to be smarter.

Don discussed how tactical teams need to focus on the best ways of doing business, that is, the best tactics. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, so tactical teams need to challenge their practices, and seek improved ways of getting the job done. Leaders also need to listen to members of the team, because sometimes the best ideas come from the bottom up, not the top down.

3. Learn other ways of doing business.

Sometimes we fall into the trap of following habit patterns without thinking critically, and Don challenged the audience to continuously ask themselves if there is a better way of doing things.

For example, calling out SWAT to raid a house is one way of doing business, but is it the best way? SWAT officers should ask:

  • Can the suspect be apprehended in a less dangerous manner in another location or at another time?
  • Are there other options to flashbangs that could be safer?
  • Does a particular operation justify a full team deployment, or are there other options to calling out SWAT?
  • Are there new technologies that we can use to reduce exposing our people to unnecessary risk?

4. Learn to stick with the basics, and apply them.

Tactical teams often make bad decisions when they stray from basic principles, or fail to apply them properly. For example, are a team’s actions guided by the “safety priorities” model? When the safety priorities are reversed, tactical leaders can unwittingly risk the safety of innocents or officers to protect the suspect, which is obviously undesirable.

Similarly, are tactical teams operating with an understanding of “good time and bad time?” Do they continuously assess who benefits or who suffers from the actions being taken or contemplated? Are they looking to take advantage of opportunity, or change the operational tempo as required to successfully resolve the situation?

5. Training matters.

Tactical teams are constantly challenged by a lack of time, staff, resources, or budget, so leaders need to ensure they are getting the most out of training.

Are teams focusing on the core skills needed for mission accomplishment, or wasting time and resources on irrelevant – but entertaining – training activities? Is there a true process in place to analyze what training needs to focus on? Is there a good plan to manage the training program, assess its effectiveness and modify it to meet operational needs?

6. Education matters.

Education expands knowledge, and introduces a team to skills, tactics and concepts they may not have been aware of. Does the agency and the team encourage professional development?

7. Documentation matters.

Tactical teams need to document everything. They need to document training, lesson plans, policies, procedures, missions, equipment status . . . everything! In today’s environment, a tactical team that fails to document these areas of concern will not fare well in the courtroom.

8. The importance of After Action Reports (AARs).

Tactical teams must analyze their operations and document them to ensure continuous improvement and to be prepared for legal challenges. In the wake of an operation, teams need to determine if there are policy, personnel, equipment, leadership, tactics, or training issues that positively or negatively influenced the incident. Don cautioned against trying to make all AARs look as if everything went perfectly – be honest in your self-criticism, and ferret out those areas where the team can improve its performance.

9. The importance of interagency teamwork.

Tactical teams obviously need to encourage teamwork within the team, but they also need to learn how to work effectively with neighboring teams or other agencies, such as fire-EMS. In an age where terrorism, active shooters, and complex, coordinated attacks are becoming more commonplace, even the best tactical teams are incapable of doing it all by themselves. Teams need to be able to effectively combine resources when the job demands it.

10. Promoting emotional intelligence.

Don strongly advises that tactical teams and their leaders must promote the development of “emotional intelligence” in officers. Emotional intelligence deals with how we respond to challenges and stress. How do we control ourselves, process information and make decisions during critical incidents? What do we do, and how do we react under stress?

Don suggests emotional intelligence is an attribute we need to groom in our tactical team members and leaders, and it’s best done via a purposeful process that includes continuous training and education. The military – and even corporate America – offer good models for how law enforcement can develop emotional intelligence in police officers, and Don advises we need to spend more time and effort on this area to enhance success in tactical operations.

Going Forward

Don provided the CATO Conference attendees excellent guidance on how to evaluate their teams’ strengths and weaknesses with an eye toward improvement.

His briefing is part of the larger effort from CATO and NTOA to “professionalize” SWAT, and raise the bar on training and standards for this critical area of law enforcement. Both CATO and NTOA provide world-class training and education through seminars, agency-hosted training schools and programs like the NTOA Academy Command College.

Visit http://catonews.org/ and http://www.ntoa.org/ for more information about training opportunities that will take you and your SWAT team to the next level.

Mike Wood is the son of a 30-year California Highway Patrolman and the author of “Newhall Shooting: A Tactical Analysis,” the highly-acclaimed study of the 1970 California Highway Patrol gunfight in Newhall, California. Mike is an Honor Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, a graduate of the US Army Airborne School, and a retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with over 26 years of service. He’s a National Rifle Association (NRA) Law Enforcement Division-certified firearms instructor, senior editor at RevolverGuy.com, and has been a featured guest on the Excellence In Training Academy and American Warrior Society podcasts, as well as several radio and television programs. He’s grateful for the opportunity to serve and learn from the men and women of law enforcement.

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