speedlover1994

Hi, I've introduced myself in the introduction section and if you have read know I'm interested in SWAT etc.
I know at least a couple members are on SORT, SWAT and other similar teams. Can anyone with either field experience or an older aspiring tactical soldier (for lack of a better word) give me some advice/personal experience for a wannabe? I've found some information on the web, but nothing as personal experiences
Thanks
-speedlover

Rifleman

Become a standout patrol officer.

Become well versed on use of force issues and use of force case law.

Become expert with your duty pistol and patrol shotgun.

Don't let your fitness slip after the academy. In fact, don't just maintain your fitness, increase it!

Even if you don't go to college take English, composition, and technical writing couses. Documentation is one of the most important things you will do as any kind of cop. It also helps you to be well spoken. You don't want to look like an idiot on the witness stand.....ever!

Keep your mouth shut and don't talk smack when you're new.

Gain the trust and confidence of your fellow officers. The things already listed go a long ways toward that.

__________________
"Aim small, miss small." - Benjamin Martin in The Patriot

speedlover1994

OK, thanks
that was one of the things I was wondering. Is college nessecary? I think i have pretty good grammar, and I will continue to take English.
Again, thanks for the advice, I assume if I do eventually make it to SWAT it will be after a long time as a cop?
Also, I want to live in LA, are there good police academies there? (I would assume so it being LA and all) And if there are better academies where so?

Gaskin

Hmm.... How about military background? I've been when I was at the army recruiting center, some guys who were with me talked about a carreer in the police force and thought that having a military background might be a good boost to the personal record. I think that having served in the army and been on tour to different combat zones might help you "advance" into SWAT or whatever there is in the police force.

__________________
I'm sorry for my English - can make grammar mistakes sometimes :(

speedlover1994

Yah, I'm not sure. That seems like it could be helpful, but probably just spending the time you would spend in the army being a cop would be more of a boost? I'd like more ideas on that though.

Thanks!
-speedlover

__________________
"you have enemies, good. That means you stood up for something, sometime in your life"

Gaskin

I wish I knew more about it but I don't. However i'm pretty sure that it will be helpful if you spend some time with let's say the marines and take a tour to Iraq or another hot spot in the world. This way, you will have a lot more experience how to deal with critical situations and a good intuition. It is dangerous but I'm sure that it will be a major plus in the police force, especially if you want to get in the SWAT. Then it's ofcourse all about being fit and keeping your head on the shoulders.

Shek

I'm not in LE, but from what little I've heard, being a MP is not a ticket for entry into LE. Different skill sets and different missions.

__________________
"So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand." Thucydides 1.20.3

speedlover1994

Shek- makes sense. I stick to my idea that the time it take to make get into the Marines and take a tour to Iraq would be better spent training for an aspiring LE officer.

Shek

Don't misread what I wrote - being a MP or equivalent is not the ticket to the SWAT/SORT gravy train. Being an infantryman or the like provides you with the weapons and tactics training and proof that you have the discipline required for such a unit will give you an edge. As it was put to me, time in the infantry provides a base to build on in LE, but time in the MP means they have to untrain you on some stuff that you learn in the MP, and many would rather build upon something that can be molded rather than reprogram someone.

In the end, get some opinions from LE folks on what they are looking for and their perceptions on former military, as what I'm passing on is second hand and may not be the norm. Folks like Rifleman and others who served in the military and then went on to a career in LE will be able to provide you with more details on how their military service enhanced or detracted from their careers in LE.

speedlover1994

OK, sorry for misreading.

Hopefully somebody like Rifleman will comment. But I have time...a LOT of time, like 10 years of time

ssweet

I can only second what everyone else has said about becoming a S.W.A.T. officer. I will however, add one thing. go to a big city department. If you end up in some "bodunk" 10 to 20 man department where the S.W.A.T teams are manned by multiple jurisdictions and are only part time, you are faced with fierce competition, political influence that overrides policy and officer safety and many more dynamics that are too lengthy to discuss here. By going to the Big City such as L.A. or NY there are numerous other assignments such as L.A.P.D. Gang Unit that is to many considered a stepping stone to S.W.A.T. there are Vice Units, Fugitive Warrant teams, Organized Crime and Much Much more. Not everyone is cut out for S.W.A.T. The only way to know is to get in the department, strive to be the best at whatever your assignment is and never stop furthering your knowledge of the job through formal education, training classes and study of case law. Good Luck

speedlover1994

Yes, I wanted to go to LA.

Vice units are a little too scary for me but some of the other units sound like good ideas.

Thanks!