Police tactical unit

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Osaka Prefectural Police Riot Police Unit officers arresting a suspect during training Counter-terrorism training of the Osaka Prefectural Police.jpg
Osaka Prefectural Police Riot Police Unit officers arresting a suspect during training

A police tactical unit (PTU) [a] is a specialized police unit trained and equipped to handle situations that are beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement units because of the level of violence (or risk of violence) involved. [2] [3] [4] The tasks of a police tactical unit may include executing dangerous search warrants and arrest warrants for dangerous persons; arresting or neutralizing dangerous or mentally ill armed persons; and intervening in high-risk situations such as shootouts, standoffs, hostage-takings, and terrorist incidents. [5] [6]

Contents

Definition

GSG 9 (operator and helicopter pictured here in 1978) was established in September 1972 following the Munich massacre to combat terrorism, and was one of the first police tactical units. Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F054217-0020, Bundesgrenzschutz, GSG 9.jpg
GSG 9 (operator and helicopter pictured here in 1978) was established in September 1972 following the Munich massacre to combat terrorism, and was one of the first police tactical units.

Police tactical units are dedicated units composed of personnel selected and trained in tactical skillsets to carry out the responsibilities of the unit, and in use-of-force policies, including lethal force for counterterrorism. [8] A PTU is equipped with specialized police and military-type equipment. [9] PTU personnel may also be trained in crisis negotiation. [10]

A police tactical unit can be part of either a police force under the authority of civilian officials, [11] or a gendarmerie-style force under the authority of civilian officials (interior ministry) or a defence ministry that may have formal military status. [12] [11] Other government agencies, depending on the country, may establish specialized units with comparable taskings, training, and equipment, such as border guard, coast guard, customs, or corrections. [13]

In the United States, police tactical units are known by the generic term SWAT (special weapons and tactics) team; [14] [15] the term originated from the Philadelphia Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1960s. [16] [14] [17] In Australia, the federal government uses the term police tactical group . [3] The European Union uses the term special intervention unit for national counterterrorist PTUs. [18]

Characteristics

An FBI SWAT team advancing during an aircraft hijacking training exercise at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi FBI SWAT anti-hijacking response.jpg
An FBI SWAT team advancing during an aircraft hijacking training exercise at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi

Police tactical units have similarities to military special forces units such as organization, selection, training, equipment, and operational methodologies. [19] [20] Police tactical units, similar to military units, are not gender diverse, with female members being rare. [21] [22]

For "certain counter terrorism operations, such as hostage rescue, there is a significant convergence of roles, tactics and force when employed in either an armed conflict or policing role". [23] Aside from counterterrorism, the roles of police and military units differ in that the role of military units can result in the use of the maximum permissible force against enemy combatants while the role of police units is to use only minimal force sufficient to subdue suspected criminals, including negotiation. [24] [25] [26]

Canine units may also be incorporated within teams, or may be used on an ad hoc basis. [27] In the United Kingdom, this capability is provided by the Central Support Group. [28] [ failed verification ]

Equipment

Many police tactical units also have access to specialized equipment such as ballistic shields, entry tools, battering rams, armored vehicles, thermal and night-vision devices, fiberscope cameras, and motion detectors. [29] [ failed verification ] In the United Kingdom, specialized police tactical units have access to specialized cutting equipment for protestor removal, and radiological protection gear. [28] [ failed verification ]


Clothing

Crestview Police Department SWAT officers wearing different combat uniforms during an active shooter exercise at Eglin Air Force Base in 2013 Active shooter exercise at Navy EOD school 131203-F-oc707-008.jpg
Crestview Police Department SWAT officers wearing different combat uniforms during an active shooter exercise at Eglin Air Force Base in 2013

Police tactical unit personnel wear similar uniforms to those worn by military personnel. Traditional uniforms are usually solid tones of dark blue, black, grey, tan, or olive green, though uniforms with military camouflage have become popular with some units since the 2000s. [30] [ failed verification ]

Police tactical unit personnel use helmets similar to those issued by military, such as the PASGT helmet or Future Assault Shell Technology helmet, though they may also use riot helmets or soft headgear such as caps. Balaclavas and goggles are often used to protect the face and protect the identities of team members. [31] [32] [ additional citation(s) needed ] Ballistic vests, sometimes including rigid plate inserts, are standard-issue. [32] These vests are labelled with "POLICE", "SHERIFF", "SWAT", or similar, to allow for easy identification. [33] [ globalize ]

Weapons

Units are equipped with special weapons that are not normally used by regular police units, typically military firearms such as assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles, smoke grenades and stun grenades. [34] [35] [36] [37] [38]

Vehicles

SWAT officers on a Lenco BearCat, an armored vehicle notable for common police use, in Charleston County, South Carolina May 31 2020 Charleston County curfew.png
SWAT officers on a Lenco BearCat, an armored vehicle notable for common police use, in Charleston County, South Carolina

Police tactical units often employ "armored rescue vehicles" (ARV), [39] for insertion, maneuvering, and during operations such as the rescue of personnel and civilians who may be in danger of receiving fire from suspects if extracted through other methods. [40] [41] Common armored vehicles include the Lenco BearCat and BEAR, and the Cadillac Gage Commando. [42] [43] [44] [ globalize ] Some departments use decommissioned, disarmed military vehicles such as those acquired from the Law Enforcement Support Office in the U.S.[ globalize ] Alternatively, SWAT teams may use unmarked police cars to respond faster, provide better mobility when splitting up, or avoid detection. [45] [ failed verification ]

Police aircraft, commonly helicopters, are used to provide aerial reconnaissance or insertion via rappelling or fast-roping.[ citation needed ] Rigid inflatable boats are also used worldwide by police tactical teams. [28] [ failed verification ] [46] [ failed verification ]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Some academic literature from North America uses the term "police paramilitary unit" (PPU) to describe police tactical units. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SWAT</span> American law enforcement unit

In the United States, a SWAT team is a generic term for a police tactical unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramilitary</span> Organization similar to, but not part of, a military

A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hostage Rescue Team</span> Elite tactical unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) is the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) elite tactical unit. The HRT was formed to provide a full-time federal law enforcement tactical capability to respond to major terrorist incidents throughout the United States. Today, the HRT performs a number of tactical law enforcement and national security functions in high-risk environments and conditions and has deployed overseas, including with military Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) units. In an article to mark its 40th anniversary, it was reported that since its formation in 1983 the HRT had deployed more than 900 times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Close-quarters battle</span> Physical combat at close range

Close-quarters battle (CQB), also called close-quarters combat (CQC), is a close combat situation between multiple combatants involving ranged or melee combat. It can occur between military units, law enforcement and criminal elements, and in other similar situations. CQB is typically defined as a short duration, high intensity conflict characterized by sudden violence at close range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SWAT vehicle</span> Armoured vehicle used by police tactical units

A SWAT vehicle, police armored vehicle, or police rescue vehicle is a non-military armored vehicle used by police tactical units to respond to incidents. They are most often in configurations similar to military light utility vehicles, infantry mobility vehicles, or armoured personnel carriers. They are generally designed to have armor that can sufficiently block high-caliber rounds, space to carry the unit's equipment, and sufficient passenger seating; some also allow for additional personnel to hang onto the side of the vehicle in transit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Police Tactical Unit (Singapore)</span> Paramilitary specialist unit of the Singapore Police Force

The Police Tactical Unit (PTU) is a paramilitary specialist unit of the Singapore Police Force and comes under the direct command of the Special Operations Command. Based in Queenstown, it is the main anti-rioting and disaster-management unit of the police force. They are also called upon to handle cases of serious crime in progress, particularly cases involving firearms. From 2004, PTU officers also presented greater public prominence when they conducted patrols in public areas, such as at Orchard Road, Holland Village and Serangoon Gardens Estate, partly as a response to greater terrorism concerns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Patrol</span> State-wide law enforcement agency for the U.S. state of Washington

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) is the state patrol agency for the U.S. state of Washington. Organized as the Washington State Highway Patrol in 1921, it was renamed and reconstituted in 1933. The agency is charged with the protection of the Governor of Washington and the grounds of the Washington State Capitol; security aboard the vessels and terminals of the Washington State Ferries; law enforcement on interstate and state highways in Washington; and providing specialized support to local law enforcement including laboratory forensic services, mobile field forces during periods of civil unrest or disaster, and tactical teams. The State Fire Marshal's Office, responsible for operation of the Washington State Fire Training Academy and for certain aspects of civil defense mobilization, is a component office of the Washington State Patrol, and the State Patrol is the managing agency of the Washington Fusion Center, which coordinates anti-terrorist and anti-organized crime activities within Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadillac Gage Commando</span> American amphibious armored car

The Cadillac Gage Commando, frequently denoted as the M706 in U.S. military service, is an American armored car designed to be amphibious. It was engineered by Cadillac Gage specifically for the United States Military Police Corps during the Vietnam War as an armed convoy escort vehicle. The Commando was one of the first vehicles to combine the traditionally separate roles of an armored personnel carrier and a conventional armored car, much like the Soviet BTR-40. Its notable height, amphibious capability, and waterproofed engine allowed American crews to fight effectively in the jungles of Vietnam by observing their opponents over thick vegetation and fording the country's deep rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Police Tactical Unit (Hong Kong)</span> Unit within the Hong Kong Police Force

The Police Tactical Unit is a unit within the Hong Kong Police Force which provides an immediate manpower reserve for use in large-scale emergencies. Unit companies are attached to all land Regions and are available for internal security, crowd control, anti-crime operations, disaster response and riot control throughout Hong Kong. The PTU is often referred as the 'Blue Berets', which is in reference to the blue berets worn as part of the uniform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terradyne Armored Vehicles Gurkha</span> Tactical armored vehicle

The Terradyne Armored Vehicles Gurkha is a tactical armored vehicle built by Ontario-based Terradyne Armored Vehicles Inc. The Gurkha is available in three different variants, and are built on a Ford F-550 Super Duty chassis, as well as sharing the same engine and interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadillac Gage Ranger</span> Internal security vehicle

The Cadillac Gage Ranger, known popularly and in United States military service as the Cadillac Gage Peacekeeper or Cadillac Gage Peacekeeper I, is a four-wheeled armored personnel carrier marketed as an internal security vehicle, produced by Cadillac Gage. Built on a Dodge truck chassis, production began in 1979 to produce an armored vehicle for the United States Air Force (USAF) Security Forces, its largest customer, though Luxembourg and Indonesia also reportedly used Rangers as well. The Ranger also saw considerable service with law enforcement as a SWAT vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GOE (Brazil)</span> Military unit

The Grupo de Operações Especiais, mostly known by its acronym GOE, was a tier two police tactical unit of the Brazilian Civil Police of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It was comparable to Rio de Janeiro's CORE. In 2019, the Governor of the State of São Paulo, João Dória, extinguished the group and its members were moved to the newly created Department of Strategic Police Operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Natural Resources Police</span> Law enforcement arm of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) is the law enforcement arm of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), tasked with enforcing laws on the state's public lands and waterways, protecting fish and wildlife, and leading search and rescue efforts. The Natural Resources Police is also the state's maritime homeland security agency.

FBI Special Weapons and TacticsTeams are specialized part-time SWAT teams of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI maintains SWAT teams at each of its 56 field offices throughout the United States. Each team is composed of a varying number of certified SWAT operators, dependent on office size and funding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LAPD Metropolitan Division</span> Division of the Los Angeles Police Department

Metropolitan Division, commonly referred to as Metro Division or just Metro, is an elite division of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) under its Special Operations Group. Metropolitan Division is responsible for managing the LAPD's specialized crime suppression, K-9, mounted, and SWAT units, named "platoons".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deployable Specialized Forces</span> Military unit

The Deployable Specialized Forces (DSF) —formerly Deployable Operations Group— are part of the United States Coast Guard that provide highly equipped, trained and organized deployable specialized forces, to the Coast Guard, United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), United States Department of Defense (DoD) and inter-agency operational and tactical commanders. The command was formerly headquartered in Arlington, Virginia where it was established on 20 July 2007, and was commanded by a captain. It was decommissioned by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Robert Papp on 1 October 2013, with units previously assigned to the DOG being split between Coast Guard Pacific and Atlantic Area commands. The units were subsequently reorganized under Deployable Specialized Forces (DSF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenco BearCat</span> American armored personnel carrier

The Lenco BearCat is a wheeled SWAT vehicle designed for military and law enforcement use. It is in use by numerous military forces and law enforcement agencies around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tactical emergency medical services</span>

Tactical Emergency medical services (TEMS) is out-of-hospital care given in hostile situations by specially trained practitioners. Tactical support provided through TEMS can be applied in either the civilian world, generally with special law enforcement teams such as SWAT and SERT, as well as with military special operations teams. Tactical EMS providers are paramedics, nurses, and physicians who are trained to provide life-saving care and, sometimes, transport in situations such as tactical police operations, active shooters, bombings, and natural disasters. Tactical medical providers (TMPs) provide care in high risk situations where there is an increased likelihood for law enforcement, civilian, or suspect casualties. TEMS units are also deployed in situations where traditional EMS or firefighters cannot respond. TMPs are specially trained and authorized to perform live-saving medical procedures in austere and often times unconventional environments. TMPs are also expected to be competent in weapons safety and marksmanship, small unit tactics, waterborne operations, urban search and rescue, and HAZMAT. TMPs also serve to train their respective teams in complex medical procedures that may be performed in their absence. TEMS providers are sometimes sworn police officers cross trained as paramedics, paramedics that are operators trained and integrated into the SWAT Team, or medical providers trained in tactical EMS who are then integrated into law enforcement or military units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Militarization of police</span> Law enforcement using combat methods

The militarization of police is the use of military equipment and tactics by law enforcement officers. This includes the use of armored personnel carriers (APCs), assault rifles, submachine guns, flashbang grenades, sniper rifles, and SWAT teams. The militarization of law enforcement is also associated with intelligence agency–style information gathering aimed at the public and political activists and with a more aggressive style of law enforcement. Criminal justice professor Peter Kraska has defined militarization of police as "the process whereby civilian police increasingly draw from, and pattern themselves around, the tenets of militarism and the military model".

References

  1. ↑ Alvaro 2000, p. 3.
  2. ↑ Alvaro, Sam (2000). Tactical law enforcement in Canada; an exploratory survey of Canadian police agencies (Thesis). Carleton University. p. 1,37,51-52. ISBN   9780612484191 . Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (2017). Active Armed Offender Guidelines for Crowded Places (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. p. 3. ISBN   9781925593976 . Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  4. ↑ Rantatalo, Oscar (2013). Sensemaking and organising in the policing of high risk situations: focusing the Swedish Police National Counter-Terrorist Unit (PDF) (Thesis). Umeå: Department of Education, Umeå University. p. 15,32. ISBN   9789174596991 . Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  5. ↑ Alvaro 2000, p. 99-103.
  6. ↑ NTOA 2018, p. 10.
  7. ↑ Alvaro 2000, p. 39-40.
  8. ↑ NTOA (April 2018). "Tactical Response and Operations Standard for Law Enforcement Agencies" (PDF). p. 12,34,38. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  9. ↑ NTOA 2018, p. 45.
  10. ↑ NTOA 2018, p. 35.
  11. 1 2 Alvaro 2000, p. 40.
  12. ↑ Lutterbeck, Derek (2013). The Paradox of Gendarmeries : Between Expansion, Demilitarization and Dissolution (PDF). SSR PAPER 8. Geneva: Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF). p. 7. ISBN   9789292222864 . Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  13. ↑ Alvaro 2000, p. 44.
  14. 1 2 Rantatalo 2013, p. 15.
  15. ↑ Alvaro 2000, p. 72.
  16. ↑ Mitchel P. Roth & James Stuart Olson, Historical Dictionary of Law Enforcement, Westport, Ct: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001, p. 333 and; John S. Dempsey & Linda S. Forst, An Introduction to Policing, Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning, 2011, p. 276.
  17. ↑ Alvaro 2000, p. 27-28.
  18. ↑ On the improvement of cooperation between the special intervention units of the Member States of the European Union in crisis situations (Council Decision 2008/617/JHA). 23 June 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  19. ↑ North Atlantic Treaty Organization (18 December 2020). NATO Glossary of Terms and Definitions (PDF) (in English and French). Vol. AAP-06 (2020 ed.). Brussels: NATO Standardization Agency. p. 119. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2021.
  20. ↑ Alexander, John B (July 2010). "4: Comparison between SOF and Law Enforcement Agencies". Convergence: Special Operations Forces and Civilian Law Enforcement (Report). JSOU report 10-6. MacDill Air Force Base, Florida: Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) Press. pp. 48–62. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  21. ↑ Dahle, Thorvald O. (March 2015). "Women and SWAT: Making Entry into Police Tactical Teams" (PDF). Law Enforcement Executive Forum. 15 (1). Macomb, Illinois: Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute: 21,25. ISSN   1552-9908. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2017.
  22. ↑ Turnley, Jessica Glicken; Stewart, Dona J.; Rubright, Rich; Quirin, Jason (June 2014). Special Operations Forces Mixed-Gender Elite Teams (PDF). William Knarr (Project Leader). MacDill Air Force Base, Florida: Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) Press. pp. 11, 85–86. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  23. ↑ Watkin, Kenneth (2016). Fighting at the Legal Boundaries: Controlling the Use of Force in Contemporary Conflict. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 437. ISBN   9780190457976.
  24. ↑ Newburn, Tim; Neyroud, Peter (2013). Dictionary of Policing. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. p. 187. ISBN   9781843922872.
  25. ↑ Weber, Diane Cecilia (1999). Warrior Cops: The Ominous Growth of Paramilitarism in American Police Departments (PDF). Cato Briefing Papers No. 50. Washington: Cato Institute. p. 3. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  26. ↑ Rantatalo 2013, p. 23.
  27. ↑ "How to Coexist with a K-9 Unit". POLICE Magazine. October 7, 2009. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010.
  28. 1 2 3 "Our operational groups and units". Ministry of Defence Police. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  29. ↑ Ollhoff, Jim (2013). SWAT. ABDO Publishing Company. pp. 12–14. ISBN   9781614789383.
  30. ↑ Sweeney, Patrick (2004). Modern Law Enforcement Weapons & Tactics. Krause Publications An F+W Media Publications Company. p. 21. ISBN   9781440224584.
  31. ↑ Sweeney 2004.
  32. 1 2 Wipfler, E. John; American College of Emergency Physicians (2012). Tactical Medicine Essentials. Jones & Bartlett Learning. pp. 43–44. ISBN   9780763778217.
  33. ↑ Tactical Medicine Essentials 2012, p. 107.
  34. ↑ Sweeney 2004, p. 198.
  35. ↑ "Felon Busters: On The Job With LAPD SWAT". Popular Mechanics . Hearst Magazines. May 1997. pp. 53–58.
  36. ↑ "SWAT Round-Up International 2006: Team Insights | Tactical Response Magazine". Hendonpub.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  37. ↑ "HowStuffWorks 'How SWAT Teams Work'". People.howstuffworks.com. January 31, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  38. ↑ Eden Pastora. "SWAT February 2003". Tacticaloperations.com. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  39. ↑ "GUIDELINES for ARMORED RESCUE VEHICLES". January 1, 2008. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  40. ↑ "Police Armored Rescue Vehicles: Tactical Rescue Considerations | Tactical Response Magazine". Hendonpub.com. September 11, 2001. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  41. ↑ "L.A. police mark anniversary of infamous shootout that changed policing | National & World News | KATU.com – Portland News, Sports, Traffic Weather and Breaking News – Portland, Oregon". KATU.com. Associated Press. March 1, 2007. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  42. ↑ Tegler, Eric. "Loaded For Bear: Lenco's Bearcat Is Ready For Duty". Autoweek.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  43. ↑ Gentile, Derek. "Bulletproof". Berkshire Eagle Online. Archived from the original on April 2, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  44. ↑ "FHP Special Activities and Programs". Flhsmv.gov. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  45. ↑ https://pytkam.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/ahmedov_zhaloba_espch_0_0.pdf
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