SWAT

First and foremost, SWAT is for saving lives. Period. This is the most important job as members of the law enforcement community. SWAT teams are part of law enforcement, unlike military Special Operations, that enforce policy. It is sometimes argued that SWAT teams are intimidating to the community at large and place too much emphasis on "military-styled" tactics and operational procedures. But in todays age of extremely violent criminals, heavily armed gangs, and large drug cartels, capable units need to exist to protect the public and enforce the law.

So what is SWAT doctrine? Boiled down to its most basic level, SWAT exists to save lives.

A Note About SWAT Shootings

In many popular police movies, the heroes shoot their weapons repeatedly and kill one bad guy after another, making for sensational action footage. Those fantasies, coupled with sensationalized police shootings, reinforce the stereotype that all officers are trigger-happy.

But according to most police officials, crime experts and studies by The Associated Press of law enforcement methods, the majority of police officers, let along SWAT operators, nationwide never fire their weapons during their careers.

Despite the low number of police shootings, there's the perception that officers constantly fire their weapons. Often this is stereotyped by the media.

SWAT teams may be viewed as para-military, or even over-kill in the law enforcement community because of their military-styled dress, weaponry, and show of force. These elements are used by SWAT not only for personal protection, but alsoto give them the advantage they need to effectively resolve whatever situation they encounter without anyone getting hurt.