Here's a critique of an article from Tactical Response magazine, where the author advocates using SWAT routinely on non-violent calls. This is a mindset that jeopardizes innocent lives, hardens and militarizes the police, further distances us from the days of the Peace Officer, wastes money, destroys property, and will be exceedingly useful for the developing Police State.
Practice on the People
Practice on the People
The author is actually suggesting SWAT commanders lobby to have their teams deployed in situations for which they normally wouldn’t be to ensure they’re in good practice. Put another way, he suggests they practice their door smashing, room-clearing, flash-grenade deploying, and other paramilitary tactics on less-than-violent people, so they’re in better form when a real threat arises. Never mind that there are going to be living, breathing, probably bleeding people on the receiving end of these “practice” raids. There’s officer safety and “SWAT team profile” to think about. It’s just an appalling mindset.