…Since the 1960s, in response to a range of perceived threats, law-enforcement agencies across the U.S., at every level of government, have been blurring the line between police officer and soldier. Driven by martial rhetoric and the availability of military-style equipment—from bayonets and M-16 rifles to armored personnel carriers—American police forces have often adopted a mind-set previously reserved for the battlefield. The war on drugs and, more recently, post-9/11 antiterrorism efforts have created a new figure on the U.S. scene: the warrior cop—armed to the teeth, ready to deal harshly with targeted wrongdoers, and a growing threat to familiar American liberties….
How insane and overpowering is it that in the past forty years, there has been a dramatic increase number of SWAT-like raids.
Along with the increase, comes bloodshed that far too often accompanies these raids not to mention the constitutionality of a militarized police state.
In 1970s, there were a few hundred SWAT-like raids a year.
During the early part of the 1980’s the number of SWAT-like raids increased to approximately 3,000 raids a year.
By the year, 2005, there were more than 50,000 raids and to make matters worse most federal agencies now have their own SWAT teams.
Not to mention a police state that while strapped with all sorts of tools appears more each day to lack sensitivity and compassion.
Below is a list of government agencies followed by independent, state agencies, local and county agencies that have their own SWAT team.
Federal agencies
United States Department of Energy
- Special Response Teams (SRT)
- Special Response Force (SRF)
United States Department of Homeland Security
- Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- Office of Field Operations (OFO) – Special Response Teams (SRT)
- U.S. Border Patrol Special Operations Group
- USBP – Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC)
- USBP Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) Teams
- USBP San Diego Sector – Air Mobile Unit (AMU)
- USBP San Diego Sector – BORTAC (formerly REACT)
- Federal Protective Service (FPS) – Special Response Teams
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Special Response Teams (SRT)
- Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) – Special Response Teams (SRT)
- Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) – Tactical Intervention and Control (TIAC) Teams
- United States Coast Guard
- Deployable Operations Group
- Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST)
- Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT)
- Tactical Law Enforcement Teams (TACLET)
- Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON)
- Vessel Boarding Security Teams
- United States Secret Service
- Counter Sniper (CS) Team
- U.S. Secret Service Uniform Division (UD) – Emergency Response Team (ERT)
- U.S. Secret Service – Counter Assault Team (CAT)
- Deployable Operations Group
United States Department of Justice
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives – Special Response Teams (SRT)
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- Foreign-deployed Advisory and Support Teams (FAST)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Hostage Rescue Team
- FBI Regional SWAT Teams
- Federal Bureau of Prisons – Special Operations Response Teams (SORT)
- United States Marshals Service (USMS)
- USMS Special Operations Group (SOG)
- USMS – Special Response Teams (SRT)
United States Department of State
- Bureau of Diplomatic Security – Office of Mobile Security Deployments (MSD)
United States Department of the Treasury
- United States Mint Police – Special Response Teams (SRT)
- Yellowstone Special Response Team (SRT)
- Western Region Special Response Team
- Special Events and Tactics Team
- U.S. Park Police Special Weapons and Tactics team
Independent federal agencies
- Amtrak Police – Mobile Tactical Unit (MTU)
- CIA Security Protective Service (SPS) – Special Response Team (SRT)
- National Security Agency Police Department – Special Response Team (SRT)
- Pentagon Force Protection Agency
- Pentagon Police Directorate – Emergency Response Team (ERT)
- United States Capitol Police – Containment Emergency Response Team (CERT)
- United States Federal Reserve System – Special Response Team (SRT)
State agencies
- Division of Alaska State Troopers (AST) – Special Emergency Response Team (SERT)
- Arizona Department of Public Safety Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- California Highway Patrol – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation – Crisis Response Teams (CRT)
- Colorado Department of Corrections Special Operations and Response Team (SORT)
- Connecticut Department of Corrections Special Operations Group (SOG)
- Connecticut State Police – State Police Tactical Unit (SPTU)
- Delaware State Police – Special Operations Response Team (SORT)
- Florida Highway Patrol – Tactical Response Teams (TRT)
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) – Special Operations Teams (SOT)
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission – Special Operations Group (FWCSOG)
- Georgian Counter-Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) (Multi-agency tactical team)
- Georgia State Patrol – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Illinois State Police – Tactical Response Team (TRT)
- Indiana State Police – Emergency Response Team (ERT)
- Kentucky Department of Corrections – Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT)
- Louisiana State Police – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Maine State Police – Tactical Team
- Maine Department of Corrections Emergecy Response Tactical Team
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources Special Operations Division Tactical Response Team
- Maryland State Police – Special Tactical Assault Team Element (STATE)
- Maryland State Police – Tactical Medical Unit (TMU)
- Maryland Transportation Authority Police – Special Response Team (SRT)
- Maryland Transit Administration Police – Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) Teams/Tactical Unit (formerly Special Response Team – SRT)
- Massachusetts State Police – Special Tactical Operations Team (STOP)
- Massachusetts Department of Corrections Special Reaction Team (SRT)
- Michigan State Police – Emergency Support Team (EST)
- Minnesota Department of Corrections Special Operations Group (SOG)
- Nebraska Department of Corrections Services Special Operations Response Team (SORT)
- New Hampshire Division of State Police – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit
- New Jersey State Police – Technical Emergency And Mission Specialists (TEAMS)
- New Jersey Transit Police – Emergency Services Unit (ESU)
- New Jersey Transit Police – Conditions Tactical Unit (CTU)
- New Mexico State Police – Tactical Team
- New York State Police – Special Operations Response Team (SORT)
- North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) – Special Response Team (SRT)
- Ohio State Highway Patrol – Special Response Team (SRT)
- Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections – Special Response Team (SRT) & Special Tactics and Response (STAR)
- Oklahoma Highway Patrol Tactical Team
- Oklahoma Department Of Corrections – Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT)
- Oregon State Police – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Pennsylvania State Police – Special Emergency Response Team (SERT)
- Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Corrections Rifle Specialist Team (CRST)
- Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Hostage Rescue Team (HRT)
- Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) – Emergency Services Unit (ESU)
- Rhode Island State Department of Corrections Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT)
- Rhode Island State Police – Tactical Team, WMD Tactical Team
- South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Tennessee Highway Patrol – Special Operations Unit (SOU)
- Texas Department of Public Safety, Ranger Division – Ranger Recon Teams (RRT)
- Texas Department of Public Safety, Ranger Division – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Texas Department of Public Safety – Special Response Teams (SRT)
- Utah Highway Patrol – Special Emergency Response Team (SERT)
- Vermont State Police – Tactical Services Unit
- Virginia State Police – Tactical Response Teams (TRT)
Local/County Agencies
- Alexandria Police Department – Special Operations Team (SOT)[which?]
- Anchorage Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics(SWAT) Team
- Arlington County Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit
- Arlington County Sheriff’s Office CERT
- Atlanta Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit
- Atlantic City Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Atlantic County, NJ, Emergency Response Team (ACERT) (Muli-Agency team)
- Austin Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Aurora Police Department, IL – Special Response Team (SRT)
- Bakersfield Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Baltimore Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT)
- Baltimore County Police Department SWAT
- Bay Area Rapid Transit District Police Department – SWAT Team
- Beverly Hills Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Broward County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Buena Park Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (CEMLEC) – SWAT Team (Multi-jurisdiction regional team)
- Capital Region Emergency Services Team (CREST) – (Multi-jurisdiction regional Team)
- Cape Cod Regional Law Enforcement Council (CCRLEC) – SWAT Team (Multi-jurisdiction team)
- Central New Hampshire Special Operations Unit (CNHSOU)(Multi-Jurisdiction team)
- Charleston County Sheriff’s Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Charleston Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Chattanooga Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (CEMLEC) – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Chesapeake Police Department – SWAT Team
- Chicago Police Department – SWAT Team
- Cincinnati Police Department – SWAT Team
- Cleveland Division of Police – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit
- Cobb County, Georgia, Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Cobb County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office – Tactical Operations Unit (TOU)
- Colorado Springs Police Department – Tactical Enforcement Unit (TEU)
- Columbus Division of Police – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Section
- Cook County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Police – Hostage Barricade and Terrorist (HBT)
- Corona Police Department – SWAT Team
- Dallas Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Denver Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Detroit Police Department – Special Response Team (SRT)
- DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, IL – Special Weapons And Tactics
- Durham Police Department – Selective Enforcement Team (SET)
- Escondido Police Department – Tactical Operations Unit (TOU)
- Fairfax County Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office – Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT)
- Fulton County, Georgia, Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Fulton County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Felony Investigative Assistance Team (FIAT), Dupage County IL – Special Weapons and Tactics
- Gwinnett County, Georgia, Police Dept. – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Gwinnett County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Hampton, Virigina, Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office – Tactical Response Team (TRT)
- Hillsborough County Fire Rescue – Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT)
- Houston Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Indianapolis Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Kern County Sheriff Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Kane County Sheriff’s Office, IL – Special Weapsons and Tactics (SWAT)
- Long Beach Police Department[disambiguation needed] – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Los Angeles Airport Police – Emergency Services Unit (ESU)
- Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) – Special Enforcement Detail (SED)/Special Weapons Team
- Los Angeles Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Los Angeles School Police Department – Special Response Team (SRT)
- Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office – Tactical Operations Unit (TOU)
- Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police – Special Operations Section Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT)
- Marietta Police Department – Special Response Team (SRT)
- Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council (Metro-LEC) – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department – Special Response Team (SRT)
- Miami-Dade Police Department – Special Response Team (SRT)
- Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Police Department – Special Operations Response Team (SORT)
- Montgomery Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Montgomery County Police Department (Maryland) – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit
- Nashville Metro Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Navajo Nation Tribal Police – Special Operations Unit (SOU)
- Newark Police Department – Emergency Response Team (ERT)
- New Orleans Police Department – Special Weapons Assault Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Newport News Police Department – Tactical Operations Unit (TOU)
- New York City Police Department – ESU
- North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)(Multi-jurisdiction regional team)
- North Miami Beach Police Department – Special Response Team (SRT)
- North Texas Metro SWAT – Multi-Jurisdictional SWAT Team covering four counties near Dallas, Texas
- Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS) – Emergency Services Team (EST)(Multi-jurisdiction regional team)
- North County SWAT – Regional team operating in the Northern part of Orange County, California
- Northwest Regional SWAT Team (NWRS) – Multi-Jurisdictional SWAT Team – Northwest Indiana (Lake County, IN)
- Orlando Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Orange County Area Law Enforcement (OCALE) Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team – Regional team in Orange County, Texas
- Orange County, California, Sheriff’s Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Orange County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Palm Springs Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Phoenix Police Department – Special Assignments Unit (SAU)
- Phillidelphia Police Department Special Weapons And Tactics Team (SWAT) Unit
- Pima Regional SWAT – (Multi-jurisdiction regional team)
- Port of Seattle Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Portland Police Bureau Special Emergency Response Team (SERT)
- Portsmouth, Virginia, Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team (Formerly the Tactical Respopnse Unit)
- Portsmouth, Virginia, Sheriff’s Office – Emergency Response Team (ERT)
- Prince George’s County Police Department – Emergency Services Team (EST)
- Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office – Specialized Services Team (SST)
- Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department – Special Enforcement Detail (SED)
- Salt Lake City Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- San Diego Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- San Diego County Sheriff’s Department – Special Enforcement Detail (SED)
- San Francisco Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- San Francisco County Sheriff’s Department – Special Response Team (SRT)
- Savannah Police Department – Emergency Rescue Team (ERT)
- Seattle Police Department – Emergency Response Team (ERT)
- Shelby County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Spartanburg Police Department – Tactical Neutralization Team (TNT)
- Spokane County Sheriff’s Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Spokane Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Suffolk, Virginia, Police Department – Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT)
- Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Transit Police Special Operations Response Team (SORT)
- South Suburban Emergency Response Team (SSERT – Muli-jurisdiction team in suburban Chicago, IL)
- Southern New Hampshire Special Operations Unit (Multi-jurisdiction team)
- Tacoma Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Tampa Police Department – Tactical Response Team (TRT)
- Tucson Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Tulsa Police Department – Special Operations Team (SOT)
- Virginia Beach Police Department – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team
- Washington County, Oregon, Sheriff’s Office – Tactical Negotiations Team (TNT)
- Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department – Emergency Response Team (ERT)
- Washington D.C. Metropo Transit Police Department – Special Response Team (SRT)
- West County SWAT – regional Team operating in the Western part of Orange County, California
- Westchester County Police – Special Operations Division
- Western New Hampshire Special Operations Unit (Multi-jurisdiction team)
- Wichita Police Department – Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Unit
– Special Weapons And Tactics – SWAT
Source: Wikipedia