Origin of SWAT

In response to the urban violence in early 1960, the Americans police services began to use some militaries strategies against armed and baricaded suspects. The Los Angeles police service was the first to use in full time a tactic unity. The SWAT, future LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) commended by Daryl F. Gates, will revolutionate crisis technique gestion all over the World. Severals tragicals incidents conducted to creation of SWAT.

	August 1965. The Watts’s riots (seven days, 10 000 persons) had quickly taken a dramatical denouement : 34 deaths and more than 1 000 injured. During this tragical situation, the LAPD sawn that a new tactic was necessary to prevent this kind of event.
	After that, the police inadequacy had became obvious, during the incident know as The Surrey street shootings. Gates commented this incident is his autobiography Chief : my life in the LAPD. "I analysed how we responded face to face with the suspects, and I understood that we had to creat a new method for neutralise isolated or baricaded suspects".

Gates and severals of his officers began to study the military tactic and gerrilla warfare, and hired the best sniper of the service. These ones, because they didn`t have equipment budjet, used their imagination and creativity for their material : individualy modificated guns, mirors, tools and so on.

The first SWAT apparition was december the 8, 1969, in a hard automatic firearme confrontation against the Blacks Panthers.

In 1971, the LAPD decide that SWAT unity would be more useful to Los Angeles like a full time service. One lieutenant, six sergeant and sixty police officer are affected at a new created divison : Group D.

Even if the SWAT had justified his existence many tyme during the years 1970, it will need the Los Angeles’s decision to welcome the 1984 Olympic Games for the city decide to provide needed financial help to equipe the team in specials arms.

Nowadays, the SWAT has widely proved his efficacity and his utility in all kind of dificults situation, and is considerate like elite fast police intervention unite every were in te World.