SWAT Training for Tactical Police Officers.

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				Special Weapons and Tactics Training Training must be continuous and on-going. Instructors and students must be willing to learn new information without any fear of change. The best officers and teams are the best trained officers and teams. SWAT teams must provide realistic basic training. Follow the 6 R's of training to assist you in being successful. Recent - the objectives must be recent in the SWAT community. Instructing SWAT members on using a revolver for entry would not be recent. Relevant - must be relevant to the job. Instructing SWAT on how to conduct a low risk vehicle stop would not be relevant. Repetition- students must perform the task over and over again to understand and feel confident in their ability. Realism - make it real. Provide water survival drills in gear or use FX rounds during tactics training. Review - provide immediate feedback on performance. The good, bad and ugly. Responsibility- this very well could be the most important of all six. The members must realize that the training they receive is only valuable if they believe and continue to practice. It is their responsibility to train. SWAT trainers have an unbelievable responsibility in developing and providing basic and in-service training. This training can be developed from various resources, personal knowledge and experience. The standards of the industry must be followed and used as a guideline during course development. Attending various courses and taking advantage of memberships like the National Tactical Officers Association are of great value. Training Coordinator Every team should have a training coordinator (TC) who provides the calendar plan of action for the upcoming year. This blueprint for success will provide guidance for the entire year for scheduling of officers, range and other resources to facilitate the training. This coordinator carries a great deal of responsibility; therefore, the TC must be awarded the authority to carry out the assignment. The TC working with SWAT supervision must evaluate the current program on several issues. Administration Instructor Qualifications Current training and future needs Lesson plans that are recent , realistic and relevant The thought of "if it's not broken why fix it" does not apply to Law Enforcement training. Choosing the right instructor is far more important than the quality of the lesson plan. Instructors do not have to be an expert in the topic but they must have the ability, skill and knowledge to pass the knowledge in a positive learning environment. The SWAT trainer must believe, in what they teach and practice what they demonstrate. An experienced trainer realizes that they too will learn while instructing and must be prepared for student review. The student may provide a better way of conducting a specific task that is being instructed. Remember there is no best or only way but always another way. "If you have knowledge let others light their candle with it" (Winston Churchill) Lesson Plan Development Trainers and the TC can follow a few simple rules while developing lesson plans with successful objectives. First identify the goal or scope of the lesson plan, and then list all objectives to be accomplished. You must then decide how the objectives will be tested. One way is to have the student demonstrate the task that is being taught. Another way would be to test their knowledge with a written test, or even better a combination of both. The training goal must be realistic and the objectives achievable. Students and the trainers can accomplish this task with: E.D.I. P. Explain to the students what is to be accomplished and allow questions and feedback. However, unless feedback is a safety issue it must be limited or the focus on the issue will be lost. Demonstrate the task by drawing on a white board, power point presentation or practical application. The students will then imitate what the trainer has explained and demonstrated. The students will then Practice the objective the correct way with multiple repetitions until the student and trainer are confident in their performance. Each lesson plan should be issued with a specific number to make documentation and tracking much easier for all involved. For example: The first letter could identify the topic F-Firearms, T-Tactics and then an actual number assigned. One handed shooting would be assigned F01 and Downed Officer Rescue T01. Once a recording system is identified keep a SWAT Lesson plan library. This valuable reference material will have all documented lesson plans with a cover sheet identifying all approved lesson plans and numbers. At the end of each training session you must document what occurred, because if you don't the training never happened. A few important items for your training after action: Attendance Roster - who was present and why others were not in training. Date/Day Time - don't forget about low-light and darkness training. Weather - Deployments occur in all types of weather so you must prepare your team to be ready "what if"? Lesson Plan numbers Instructors The student's performance will validate the lesson plan by their individual performance. Upon completion of each training session trainers must evaluate the objectives that were provided to the team. And if changes are needed make them! SWAT TRAINING OVERVIEW All SWAT members know that the birth of SWAT began on August 1, 1966 in Austin, Texas when Charles Whitman climbed the tower at the University of Texas. Whitman then went on a shooting spree killing 15 people and wounding 31 before two Austin Police Officers were able to climb the tower and kill Whitman. But what is not known is the future of SWAT and what challenges teams are tasked with solving. Criminals armed with superior firearms and body armor Larger street and more organized street gangs Violent crimes Suicide Bombers Weapons of Mass Destruction The National Tactical Officers Association recommends a minimum of two days of training per month. However, once the training calendar is drafted the team will realize that two days each month is not acceptable to complete all the basic skills required for day to day SWAT operations. Now with society taking a different turn in Law Enforcement training continues to be a challenge. Ten years ago training for a Weapons of Mass Destruction incident was not an issue; however, today preparation must be made. Firearms training, along with Tactics and Physical Fitness should all be viewed at the same level. All are important and should be treated equally. Summary Depending on whom you ask training may be the most important function that a tactical team performs. Training is the foundation for a successful SWAT team. A study conducted by the NTOA proved "SWAT saves lives" and for that successful mission the members must be prepared. To Error is not an option. Biography Jim Polan is 25 year veteran of Law Enforcement and currently the SWAT Captain for the Broward Sheriff's Office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Captain Polan is an adjunct instructor for The University of North Florida, Broward Community College and Miami-Dade Community College. If you have any training articles you would like to share, please submit them to: info@tacticalcops.com


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Special Weapons and Tactics Training