SWAT Team Gear

In law enforcement, there are various job types or units that require different skill sets and SWAT team gear. It’s also common for units to perform more than one job, especially in smaller agencies. Call-outs, search warrants, and hostage situations are typically handled by the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team. 

The best way to choose your tactical police gear depends on your job and what’s comfortable for you. But most important is your level of training. You shouldn’t carry anything you haven’t been trained on or used before.   

Tactical Police Gear for Call-outs

Depending on the agency you’re working for, a call-out can be classified as several different things. Active shooters, hostage situations, and stabbings, just to name a few. In my opinion, hostage situations fall under their own category. We’ll touch on that a little later in the article, along with active shooters. A call-out is a situation that requires the supervisor on duty to call in additional help to handle a situation.

Some common units that are called in to assist are the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Crime Scene Analysts, and SWAT, to name a few. Each of these units has its own tactical police gear and equipment that they either wear or bring with them, depending on the situation. 

Tactical Police Gear for Search Warrants

Search warrants can be executed for many reasons, narcotics investigation being one of the most common. Search warrants are also pre-planned, often with several days of planning. Sometimes, search warrants are planned and executed on the same day. Still, there will be time to make a plan, and the officers typically know what equipment they need for the task. 

Equipment for search warrants usually includes a heavy vest (AKA tactical vest or kit), ballistic helmets, eye protection, gloves, a battering ram, a hooligan, and flash bangs. The battering ram, hooligan bar, and flash-bangs are generally assigned to trained individual officers. 

Vests

Police wear tactical vests in these types of situations due to their ability to stop higher caliber rounds, such as .223 or 5.56. Your standard vest typically can only stop pistol rounds. A vest that provides more protection is more suitable for these tasks, mainly because if an officer were to get into a shooting, the shooting would be in close quarters. 

Battering Rams

Battering rams are used to force open locked doors. But, not just any locked doors—doors that open inward. Battering rams can also be used on doors that open outward, but they’re less effective. That’s where the hooligan comes into play. 

Hooligan Bars

A hooligan bar has three main parts to it. On one end, there is a claw radius with parallel openings, which offers optimal prying leverage. On the other end, there is a duckbill, which is a long, smooth incline end used to force open doors and windows. Just below the duckbill, there is a pike, which is long, sharp, and has a tapered curve, used to fit latches and locks. If a door opens outward, the hooligan would be used along with the ram to open the door. The hooligan will be wedged into the door jam by hitting the duckbill end with the ram, hammering it in, and will pry the door open. 

Flash-Bang 

Once the door is open, as long as the area is clear, an officer will deploy a flash-bang. This is a distractionary device that emits a bright light and a loud noise, momentarily distracting the subjects in the home. This brief distraction allows the officers to enter the area while hopefully surprising the subjects.   

SWAT Team Gear for Active Shooters

An “Active Shooter” is an individual actively killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area, typically using firearms. Usually, when police respond to an active shooter, the SWAT Team is the last to arrive on the scene. This is because members have to be contacted, and some may not be working that day. There may be some SWAT members on shift, but it’s rare to have the whole team working at any given time. Typically, the first officers on scene are those who were in the area. 

In active shooter scenarios where the officers can hear gunshots and victims screaming, officers are trained to proceed without waiting for backup. This is mainly because of the shooting incident in 1999 at Columbine High School. Before Columbine, responding officers were taught to wait for specialty units, such as the SWAT Team; however, while the officers waited, several lives were lost.

The “One Man” SWAT Team

Now, officers are trained to locate and engage the shooter once they’re on scene, regardless of whether they’re alone or not. The thought process behind this is that every second an active shooter is firing, more lives are at risk. In other words, if you’re the first one on scene and your backup hasn’t arrived yet, on that day, you’re a “One Man SWAT Team.”

Regarding gear during an active shooter incident, it goes on a case-by-case basis. In a perfect world, the SWAT Team would be right there, and the officers would have everything they need. But, unfortunately, more often than not, the officer won’t have time to stop, grab all of his extra SWAt team gear, put it on, and go. The officer may only have time to go in with what he/she has on. In situations where time is of the essence, wasting time costs lives. 

SWAT Team Gear for Hostage Situations

A hostage situation is a more complex, in-depth, and timely incident. Almost always, you will see the SWAT Team on scene, along with a hostage negotiator, sometimes called a crisis negotiator. A hostage negotiator is trained to resolve situations where individuals are held against their will, often in barricaded locations, through de-escalating techniques.   

Hostage situations are also very lengthy, often lasting several hours. Before law enforcement takes any action, they will exhaust all resources. Several attempts will be made to encourage the hostage taker to release the hostages and to surrender peacefully and without incident. Attempts include but are not limited to repeatedly calling and speaking with the suspect over a loudspeaker or phone and cutting power to the building, among other measures.

I know shows and movies have shown SWAT teams storming the building and rescuing all the hostages. Or a sniper takes a shot through a window, saving someone being held at gunpoint. However, such situations will only occur if someone’s life appears to be in immediate danger. For the most part, a hostage situation is a waiting game. 

SWAT Team Gear for a Barricaded Subject

Someone who has taken a position that prevents police access and refuses law enforcement orders to exit is a “barricaded subject.” This individual may or may not be suspected of a crime, but their refusal to leave the barricaded location and potential for violence or self-harm calls for a police response. These situations usually involve one person; if the suspect had a hostage, it would now be a hostage situation. 

Barricaded situations can be very lengthy for law enforcement to deal with. This is because, in essence, there are no victims. In other words, the suspect is just refusing to come out from wherever they are. This could be anything from a house, a building, or even a vehicle. In my experience, this usually occurs with someone who’s dealing with some sort of mental disorder (like depression) and they are threatening to kill themselves. Typically, a family member or friend will contact the local agency and make them aware of the situation. 

Many of the same techniques and equipment that apply during hostage situations will also occur during these types of situations. This could involve repeatedly calling and speaking with the suspect over a loudspeaker or phone, and cutting power to the home, as I stated before. 

Another technique used during barricaded situations is gas equipment. SWAT Team gear includes gas (CS Gas), also known as teargas, to deploy into the home or structure. CS gas is a synthetic solid that, when deployed, irritates the eyes, nose, and respiratory system, causing temporary incapacitation. For my military people, it’s very similar to a gas chamber. Deploying gas is an effective way to encourage individuals to come out and surrender.

Tactical Police Gear for Riots

Riot gear is different from other types of equipment due to its design. Its primary purpose is to protect the officer dealing with crowd control. Riot gear has several components, including:

• A helmet
• Neck, chest, back, upper arm, stomach, hip, groin, and forearm protection
• Elbow pads
• Rib guards 
• Thigh, knee, shin, and foot guards
• A shield
• A nightstick
• Gloves

So, in essence, your whole body is protected. With riots, danger can come from all sides, which is why the officer needs to be protected from all sides. CS gas is also a tool police use in riots, due to its ability to gain compliance. 

SWAT Team Gear: Training & Planning

Ultimately, in the line of duty, law enforcement will encounter numerous situations that they can handle in many different ways. As the saying goes, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Each agency will handle situations differently and with various types of equipment. Still, when it comes to actually using the gear, what matters is training, experience, and what the officer is comfortable with. 

The best thing an officer can do is try everything in a good training environment. Once you find what you like, master it. When it’s go-time, you always want to be the person they call for backup. NEVER be the person who’s placed on the perimeter—because that means they want you out of the way.  

If you’re curious to learn more about the body armor police officers wear, read this article to find out.

Guest writer Anton Jefferson served 15 years in the Army, 10 years in law enforcement, and 5 years on the SWAT team. He is a former police officer who works as a firearms and defensive tactics instructor.