Editing Fragile:SWAT (section)

=SWAT Operations=


*Preparations


The first thing a SWAT team does when it arrives is set up a perimeter around the incident site. More than one perimeter is usually established, but the goal is always the same: keep suspects in and bystanders out. In the incident that opens the game, the containment perimeter is to be established at the same time the entry team deploys - suddenly and without warning. This is to reduce the chances of Dr. Carpenter escaping and the cult destroying valuable evidence. The inner perimeter (IP) is the first line of containment, tasked with observing the site and reporting back to the command post (CP). They're the first line of defense and are usually manned by SWAT officers if the department can afford to do so. The perimeter should be close enough for the site and its exits to be visible but far enough away to provide cover or concealment. The IP is usually the site of last cover and concealment (LCC) and the final staging area for the SWAT entry team. Officers guarding the IP stay there while the entry team assaults the building. They communicate changes they witness and practice good radio discipline to listen for updates. IP personnel do not enter the site unless relieved or so ordered, and only fire on the site if they must save an officer or hostage's life.


The outer perimeter (OP) is at a much greater distance from the site, surrounding it and the IP. This is usually manned by patrol officers and seeks to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering the area. It also functions as a backup perimeter to provide a wider ring of containment.


CPs are established as soon as possible, usually in a mobile base like a trailer or van, or in a nearby building. The CP should be close enough for the incident commander and others can see the site but far enough to keep the CP relatively safe. Command for the incident and the SWAT team falls to the incident commander (IC), usually the ranking police officer such as a captain. He assembles a team of assistants and makes the important decisions for the operation, at least up until the point of actual entry. Once the entry has begun, tactical command shifts to the entry team and its team leader; he makes decisions on use of force, room clearing techniques, stealth or dynamic posture, and so on. The IC still makes command level decisions for the exterior of the site, but he may relegate authority to the team leader. There's a wide range of support staff at a CP, including hostage negotiators, PR reps, EMT and fire department reps, etc.


*Gathering Intelligence


Intel is relayed and digested by administrative personnel, support staff, police officers, and SWAT officers. The IC or somebody he's assigned briefs the officers on the scene about the incident as soon as possible, outlining a broad overview on the situation and giving profile sheets for every person known to be involved. Profile sheets collect suspect information for persons of interest who is believed to be on site, be they hostage or suspect. Once a perimeter is established, snipers and observation teams get in place and provide continuing updates on the situation through surveillance. This includes simple visual scanning, but can involve electronic surveillance gear as well.


Chances are the Vegas SWAT team will be briefed on the cultist compound, with a sketch of the building for reference. It'll show doors, windows, and other pertinent details, and some interior features are likely to be suggested. These are based on observation, informant tips and architecture-derived deductions. Building location codes are used by SWAT teams; these are standardized and quick ways of indicating a specific place in the site. It involves numbering the building's sides one through four, beginning with the front and working clockwise. The floors are counted from the ground up, openings from left to right. You can refine the method, distinguishing doors from windows (e.g. "suspect spotted, side 2, floor 2, first window").


*Hostage Negotiation


If the incident becomes a hostage rescue or barricaded suspect situation, chances are the police negotiator will be called on to try and establish communication with the suspect or suspects. This is done through existing telephone lines or with a special crisis phone dropped off by SWAT inside of the site (through a window or open door). The negotiator is there to get the suspect to surrender without harming anyone, and he uses every psychological edge he can come up with to accomplish this. This means a lot of talking, empathizing, and stalling, and requires some level of trust. Negotiators try to establish connections in the community's underworld and reputations for trustworthiness; one bad negotiation can end your career.