Editing Fragile:SWAT (section)

=Duties=


SWAT tends to be called upon for two types of actions; Emergency and Deliberate. Emergency actions include bank robberies, barricaded suspects, and hostage situations. These are situations where there's little time to prepare and SWAT acts as a reaction force. If the action persists, the team may have time to plan and even rehearse potential assault. Deliberate actions are proactive and SWAT usually has time to plan in advance. Sometimes, as in the opening scene of the game, they have to be taken quickly; the police have just received a tip that Dr. Carpenter is on site at the compound, which could net Homicide evidence and their primary suspect. Carpenter has proven very elusive and the detectives don't want to give the cult time to destroy evidence, so this calls for SWAT.

SWAT teams spend the majority of their time serving high-risk warrants. Search warrants are court orders which authorizes law enforcement to conduct a search of a person or location for evidence of a criminal offense and seize such items. High-risk warrants like the one for the cult compound involve some degree of danger for the police, who might otherwise just knock on a door and show a badge. Unless its a No-knock warrant, though, SWAT still has to "knock and announce" itself before entering. Warrants are known as "paper" to SWAT officers, and paper is paper to most of them. The warrant the team serves at the compound is not a no-knock warrant.

Other deliberate actions include hostage rescue, dignitary protection, barricaded suspects, breakouts, "suicide by cop" incidents, hijackings and mobile threats. There's a good chance that a veteran full-time SWAT officer has seen most if not all of these in his or her time. Full-time SWAT officers will sometimes engage in other police work when between missions. This is usually done in two-man "buddy teams".