[Institution’s Name]
Police departments need SWAT teams. SWAT teams receive specialized training to deal with extraordinary circumstances. For example, if there is a suspect in a house who happens to be fully armed and begins shooting at law enforcement, then it would be necessary to call for SWAT. Other situations where SWAT might be needed are hostage stand-offs, terrorist attacks, or a riot. They may also be needed in sniper positions when overseeing the protection of high level officials in very public areas. SWAT teams have unique gear that sets them apart from the normal police officer. SWAT are equipped with specialized gear that provides a defence against bullets (Grabionowski, 2007). They have access to gas and gas masks so that they are able to storm into a building in a hostage situation (Grabionowski, 2007). Lastly, they have a variety of firearms that the regular police force does not have access to.
Police use tactical teams for a reason. Those police officers with special tactical training are not the ones out on the streets doing foot patrol. They are called on for potentially lethal situations. They have to have a different mind-set than the regular police officer because the nature of their job requires them to. They are not there to make friends. They are there to accomplish a mission. Regular police officers are there to engage the community, while the tactical teams are there to provide assistance and make sure that lives are protected. The community should see the two positions differently. The police officers are there to build trust with the community so as to gather necessary information. Tactical teams use the information to be able to carry out their missions effectively and efficiently. It is doubtful that the community sees the tactical units on a daily basis as they are needed only in dire situations. However, without the two teams working together, it would be difficult to accomplish some of these delicate and life threatening tasks.
Works Cited
Grabionowski, E. . (2007). HowStuffWorks. Retrieved 22 July, 2016, from http://people.howstuffworks.com/swat-team.htm
