the history of special weapons and tactics in the United States

Running Head : Special Weapons and Tactics

Special Weapons and Tactics : A History of Bravery and Conflict

In the Police Force

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Although many protest against the SWAT team 's use of force , history shows how vital it is for SWAT teams to wield more power than standard police officers . SWAT officers have captured and killed criminals who could not be stopped by conventional methods . Without them , incidents such as the Texas Tower Massacre might occur with more frequency and with a greater number of casualties . Therefore , the

SWAT team ought to be applauded for its power of protection and not hampered in its duties . Although many note that specialized weapons and tactics were used as early as the time of the civil war , special SWAT teams were not created until much later . Chris Pizzo cites William E . Fairbain as the creator of the first SWAT team . Fairbain organized his specialized teams , the Shanghai Municipal Police Force , to defend against riots , guerilla attacks and terrorists in the 1920s . Fairbain 's men were the first police group to use automatic weapons , carbines and high-powered rifles They also used body armor , armed motorcycles , and chemicals to repel attackers . They countered snipers , used martial arts , and excelled at hand-to-hand combat . While Fairbain 's men originally worked in Shanghai they brought their methods back to the United States (Pizzo , 2007

In Los Angeles , the need for teams with specialized weapons and tactics was made evident in 1965 , when Marquette Frye , a black man , was arrested for driving while intoxicated . His mother tried to stop the arrest , and drew a crowd . The event sparked anger and rioting against policemen in Los Angeles . According to Lee W . Minikus , the rioters threw rocks and gigantic pieces of concrete at patrol officers . The officers were armed only with eleven shotguns - one per car , and batons . After being attacked , they used their batons on the rioters to defend themselves According to Minikus , They were not rioters , as far as I 'm concerned they were gangsters ' The officer 's neighbors , some white , some Latino defended his wife and children , holding rifles on their front porches The riots left 25 blacks and nine whites dead . Meanwhile , more than 1 ,000 others were injured . Rioters burnt businesses to ash and damaged more than 600 properties . Ironically , Minikus and Marquette remained friends after the incident (Reitman Landsberg , 2005

In the summer of 1966 , America 's need for SWAT teams became even clearer when a tragedy struck Texas . A disturbed engineering student and former marine , Charles Whitman , killed his wife and parents , then climbed to a tower on the University of Austin 's campus and began shooting down students . Whitman allowed others to get close enough to aid the wounded victims , and then shot the would-be rescuers as well . He even shot an eight months pregnant woman in the stomach , killing her baby . When police arrived on the scene , they had to plan to reach Whitman or to help the victims . Some tried...