Law Enforcement Specialties >> Special Units (K9, SWAT, etc.) >> Military Experience and SWAT
Military Experience and SWAT
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Posted 8 months ago Hey,
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| Posted 8 months ago There is a world of differance in LE and Military.. yes military experiance is a plus... but those Johnny Rambo types find that LE is very mundane due to Legal issues and politics (the size of dept has great effects on this). I would say that you should not excpect the same military type attitude but the tactics are the same or similar in nature... one ex ranger explained it this way,, Sit Wait and Talk (SWAT) TACTICS ARE THE LAST OPTION... I would have to agree in 30 + callouts we have never enguaged the suspect... its all perimiter work and negotiations,, except for high risk warrants and drug raids. I would venture to guess you will have to work at least 2 years on the street and then apply and pass a agility test and some departments give written test, oral review board and then try outs. If you were a REMF (Rear Echelon M*** F**&^) you might have a harder time proving yourself compared to a Infantry type, SF, Force Recon ect. I have prior Military and it helped but I was a Medic and thats my job on our team so it fit what they needed,, Oh yea dont try to BS your way into a Team the DD214 does not lie. |
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| Posted 8 months ago It does help, but it's not a requirement. Obviously, original SWAT (LAPD) came about through the use of more aggressive tactics against greater threat levels than what departments were prepared for, by a bunch of prior service guys. |
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| Posted 8 months ago If you want to do L&O after the military I would say join the MIlitary Police. I know it's different than outside agencies, but you get "policing" experience and you get to work on your tactical and IPC skills. Most people think the MIlitary Police are only Garrison or REMFs, but we do actually do alot of tactical stuff. It's kind of a catch all. I'm a current MP and from what I've talked to my friends in other agencies they all say the same thing. Even though you will have the military experience, it's just an edge. Every department will do things a lil differently. |
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| Posted 5 months ago Enigmatic said: I think they mean military experience as in a deployment to a combat zone, not a cadet program where you learn drill and ceremony and little emphasis on entering and clearing a room with evil doers inside! lol As far as the military for experience to utilize on a tactical police team, you'd want to look at infantry, military police, cavalry, special forces, etc., in order to get that real-life experience. I'm an MP and trust me, I've got lots of that, as do most of my brother and some sister MP soldiers!! |
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| Posted 4 months ago ok im new and dont wanna make yall think im comin out of the gate correctin people. with that said, to bjjmp, i too am one of the "combat cops", they no longer provide garrison training for mps during ait, its up to your unit to train you now on that but they cant quailify you so its a waste of time in my opinion. as far as SWAT goes, if your looking to get the SWAT experience i would recommend requesting QRF to anyone going into the mp corps. thats what i am and ive been doning the exact same training (sometimes even by local SWAT teams) that they do. with that said whats your training unit and post? if you have any questions about signing up come to me and i will help anyone in any way i can. |
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| Posted 4 months ago LawdawgTravMCSO said: Gotta give Travis the High 5 on this one. Hit the nail with the 20 pound sledge hammer. Everything you do can get you killed, including doing nothing at all. |
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| Posted 4 months ago Yeah, I meant I was considering ROTC so I could be deployed after graduation and have actual military experience, and I was wondering how military experience would help me (yeah, I wasn't meaning just the ROTC program at school; drill and ceremony has NO application to SWAT). I guess I'm looking to see if it's better to have prior military experience (MP, etc.) before SWAT, or if a background of being in the, say, Seattle Police Department would be better instead. |
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| Posted 4 months ago Military training is always helpful, you may already know this but just in case, keep in mind once you get on to an agency most likely you will not get right onto a SWAT/SRT. You may have to earn your keep first. With us it's about a 3 year minimum. PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY! |
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| Posted 4 months ago catm2005 said: LOL, thanks! |
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| Posted 4 months ago LawdawgTravMCSO said: Hey I'm looking for a career change I'm pretty good at watering my lawn, what do you guys think I need to do to become a fire chief? LMAO PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY! |
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| Posted 3 months ago Spending two tours overseas as enlisted has taught me that it was the way to go. When it comes to experience, I never had my platoon commander stacked up outside a house with me. SRT doesn't have officers here, don't know how it is elsewhere. |
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| Posted 3 months ago I was a scout sniper in the military and once I got on with the PD I applied and was accepted as a Tactical Team for the PD. This was a volunteer (extra duty) done along with patrol. Once I got onto the team though I was assigned as a marksman. Then I went to entry team. when I interviewed for the slot my military background helped me. |
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| Posted 2 months ago Military experience is a plus in many ways not related to SWAT. Unfortunately, most new and young cops lack any military experience and also lack discipline and motivation. Those are important for SWAT, not combat experience. The focus of the two is completely different. The military is designed to complete the mission above all else and to coin a phrase, "kill people and break things". LE SWAT tactics emphasize completing the mission but doing it in a way using measured response within the use of force continuum to protect people's lives.
Two completely different styles which don't transltae well to one another. It's more important in my view for a SWAT officer to be mature, knowledgeable, disciplined, and motivated. The idea that military makes the best SWAT is a myth. |
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| Posted 2 months ago GRENADIER says ...
First off I totally agree with you, that SWAT does have to be mature, knowledgeable, and all that, but the first SWAT team was made of Vietnam vets in LA. If I am wrong feel free to correct me. But the idea of soldiers just breaking things and killing people is a past stereo type for the most part. There are two types of building entry, dynamic and precision(sp?). Dynamic is where you blow it up making loud noises and shooting everything, Precision deals with the best way to get in without alerting anyone. Military Police can use both, mostly however we opt for precision, for the fact that we do want to preserve life and value that. To be a good SWAT officer you have to understand when and when not to shoot. Whether you were infantry or a cook, if you enter a building in Iraq and shoot the wrong person you are just as responsible as a cop here in the states. Military training and combat experience that you can take with you to the civlian PDs would be like, self control, IPC skills, or confidence under high stress situations. I'm sorry but a college student with a CJ Degree just isn't what I'd call preped for a situation when the bullets start flying. But to go back to what you had said earlier, yes you do have to have all the characteristics that you had mentioned in your last line to be an effective tac ops officer. |
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| Posted about 1 month ago I didn't say that BJ. In my experience the young officer's with no military and CJ degrees are some of the worst officers out there, and I've seen a few in 17 years. I prefer people with military experience working with me because they are more disciplined and have a good head on em. What I'm saying that the equating people with military experience and SWAT are a natural fit is a myth. I knew one guy, who was a combat vet, who I would never have put on a team for his lack of maturity. Guess what, they did anyway because of teh assumption. Military experience may be one component of an individual's fitness, but it's not what should be considered to the exclusion of all other factors. |