Need some info on SWAT

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I need to get back to school in a few minutes and don't have time to do a very thorough look.
So, does anybody know of any good sites I can check out for more information on SWAT?
Or does anybody actually have personal experience? If so, I have a few questions.
I've done some research, and it's definitely something I'd like to look further into.


Any help is appreciated, and I'll do my research once I get time - just thought this might save some time.
Thanks!

[Altimas]

I am interested in getting my Criminal justice Degree, but I dont want to do the PAtrol Car type police work I wouldlike to be a Detective. Im trying to find information on this and will link anything on Swat I find.

[lazebum]

Both are speciality fields in the police line of work so both have you starting out in a patrol car setting and when you advance you can chose either of these routes. pm me specific questions.

[stonersr26]

I am interested in getting my Criminal justice Degree, but I dont want to do the PAtrol Car type police work I wouldlike to be a Detective. Im trying to find information on this and will link anything on Swat I find.

I hate to break it to you, but almost all police departments are set up in a way as that you must first endure a few years of the "grunt" boring patrol work before you can be a detective/investigator. I am finishing my degree in Criminology and plan on going into Law Enforcement. My plan is just to work my butt off, take any courses that are offered, and generally do a better more thourough job.

[Glickman]

I hate to break it to you, but almost all police departments are set up in a way as that you must first endure a few years of the "grunt" boring patrol work before you can be a detective/investigator. I am finishing my degree in Criminology and plan on going into Law Enforcement. My plan is just to work my butt off, take any courses that are offered, and generally do a better more thourough job.

yep, the gold shield detective i know, and along with the other regular detective i know started out doing regular patrols

[Altimas]

Yeah from everything I am reading thats what I am getting too. I wouldnt mind doing patrol work I was just curious if there was a way to bypass it. Thanks for the information guys!!

[SCpoloRicker]

Volunteer for warrant executions and home raids. Some departments have full-time SWAT teams, others have members working normal details and assembling as SWAT when required.

I would concentrate more on qualifying for a normal police officer position, and worry about SWAT once you have a few more years experience.

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I would concentrate more on qualifying for a normal police officer position, and worry about SWAT once you have a few more years experience.

That's what I'll probably do. I've considered being an officer since my Marine plans aren't seeming to pan out very well.

My next request would be:
Any recommendations for schools and degrees that anybody has.
I've looked into a few, but haven't decided. The guidance counselor at our school, who's supposed to help students with this, hasn't offered me a lot of answers.
It'd be an understatement to say I'm a little confused.

[mclaggan123]

try tal;king to someone at your local police department or your state police department. many of the police departments have a junior or volunteer police force so people can get experiance and see if they will like this line of work. its also a leg up if you do this cause they look at it as experiance that most rookies or applicants wont have. good luck with what ever you decide. one way to bypass the grunt cop work is check into the military investigative departments, ex: cid, ncis, etc. most of them will require a good education.

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try tal;king to someone at your local police department or your state police department. many of the police departments have a junior or volunteer police force so people can get experiance and see if they will like this line of work.

That's actually my next move. I scheduled a ride along with one of our officers. The only problem with this is that our town is small - only about 5000 people.
I don't plan on being an officer in a town this small and inactive.

[mclaggan123]

even small towns might have a junior officer program. i have a friend that did that in a small town in georgia and then he went on to become an officer for jacksonville florida. they hired him over another accademy grad because he had the junior officer experiance. in law enforcement the more experiance you can get the better. another thing that helps besides a degree is speaking a foreign language. my advice is when you go to college minor in a foreign language or a science field. police departments look at things like this exspecially at the detective level. just do your home work on what ever you really want to do and make sure you really want to do that for the rest of your life. there's nothing worse than going to college and then finding out you dont like what you got your degree in. best of luck.

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even small towns might have a junior officer program. i have a friend that did that in a small town in georgia and then he went on to become an officer for jacksonville florida. they hired him over another accademy grad because he had the junior officer experiance. in law enforcement the more experiance you can get the better. another thing that helps besides a degree is speaking a foreign language. my advice is when you go to college minor in a foreign language or a science field. police departments look at things like this exspecially at the detective level. just do your home work on what ever you really want to do and make sure you really want to do that for the rest of your life. there's nothing worse than going to college and then finding out you dont like what you got your degree in. best of luck.

Good advice. I might have to look at something in the science field. The problem with minoring in a foreign language is that I've already taken 2 years of French. I think for the most part, minoring in and being able to speak French semi-fluently might seem a little useless. Who knows...


My next task would be to find a school and a potential place to live. Any ideas

[Steelrat]

Yeah from everything I am reading thats what I am getting too. I wouldnt mind doing patrol work I was just curious if there was a way to bypass it. Thanks for the information guys!!

There is a way to bypass it. Become a federal investigator. There are no "patrol" positions in, say, the FBI, or most other agencies. Some, like the secret service and the marshalls, do have lower positions, but they can be bypassed in some cases.

[Steelrat]

I need to get back to school in a few minutes and don't have time to do a very thorough look.
So, does anybody know of any good sites I can check out for more information on SWAT?
Or does anybody actually have personal experience? If so, I have a few questions.
I've done some research, and it's definitely something I'd like to look further into.


Any help is appreciated, and I'll do my research once I get time - just thought this might save some time.
Thanks!

Keep in mind that most departments are so small that the SWAT function is a collateral duty, and not a full-time assignment, i.e. you do patrol work most of the time, with regular training for SWAT functions, and a few times when you get to go out and play with the toys for real.

Also, remember that nothing is as glamorous as it seems. That kind of work, and police work in general, is very stressful. All one has to do is look at the recent shootout in NJ where an FBI agent was accidentally shot and killed by another officer to realize that there is a lot of risk and stress involved in the job.

[Recon by Fire]

You want to be SWAT, huh? How much airsoft experience do you have?