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FBI Special Weapons and Tactics (FBI SWAT) Teams 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.[3] Each team is composed of a varying number of certified SWAT operators, dependent on office size and funding.
| FBI Special Weapons and Tactics Teams | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1973 – present[1][2] |
| Country |  United States |
| Agency |  Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| Type | SWAT |
| Structure | |
| Full time team members | 26[1] |
| Part time team members | 1,073[1] |
| Teams | 56 (field offices)[1][3] |
Following the Wounded Knee Occupation in 1973, the FBI established a SWAT program.[2][4] In the summer of 1973, six field offices Albuquerque, Denver, Kansas City, Omaha, Phoenix and Washington, established SWAT teams of five members.[2] The teams went to the FBI Academy at Quantico to train for a few weeks with the FBI Firearms Training Unit and also spent some time with military Special Forces.[2][4]
FBI SWAT teams are specially trained to serve warrants and intervene in high-risk incidents such as active shooters, barricaded suspects, or protection for personnel or dignitaries.[1][5][6][7]
FBI SWAT teams are trained to a national standard and utilize the same equipment which enables a team to provide assistance to another Field Office Team.[3] SWAT teams can be dispatched to aid local law enforcement with limited resources to manage large-scale high-risk incidents.
Several factors can determine the deployment of FBI SWAT. Some of those factors are:
- The potential of violence
- The potential risk to law enforcement and the public
- The location of the warrant service and case requirements[8]
The SWAT Operations Unit (SOU), part of the Critical Incident Response Group, oversees the FBI SWAT program.[3] The SOU is responsible for developing standardized training, procedures and tactics, and for research and development including equipment, for the SWAT teams to ensure interoperability for multiple-office deployments. During multiple-office deployments the SOU provides planning assistance and oversight.[3]
Candidates for SWAT teams have to pass selection which includes fitness and marksmanship assessments.[9][2] SWAT selectees then have to complete a ten-day course over 10 weeks known as the New Operator Training School (NOTS) after which they are able to serve on a SWAT team, but not on every aspect of operations, such as room entries.[10] After a probationary period that may last six to eighteen months, the new team members are sent to SWAT Basic a three week course at the FBI Training Academy in Quantico for full certification.[10][2] SWAT teams train on average 32 hours a month.[1]
Nine FBI SWAT teams are designated as "Enhanced" SWAT teams and are specially trained to be able to assist/augment the full-time national Hostage Rescue Team if needed.[11] Enhanced SWAT teams are typically located at larger field offices and comprise a larger number of personnel than standard teams, in addition to having increased access to additional tactical equipment and methods.[citation needed]
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Weapons
FBI SWAT is known to use the M4 carbine, Heckler & Koch MP5/10, Remington 870, Remington 700, various Glock models (17 Gen4, 19M, 20), SIG Sauer P226, and Springfield Armory 1911 Professional Custom.[needs update][citation needed]
FBI SWAT also uses ballistic shields, stun grenades, enforcer battering rams, sledgehammers, Halligan bars, and gas masks, among other equipment.[12]
Vehicles
FBI SWAT uses a variety of armored SWAT vehicles, including the Lenco BearCat, Humvee, various MRAP models, and occasionally tracked armored personnel carriers. A variety of civilian-style vehicles are also used when necessary (such as to avoid attention), often unmarked SUVs, vans, or pickup trucks produced by subsidiaries of Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis.[citation needed]
In film and television, FBI SWAT appears in films such as Face/Off (1997), The Town (2010), S.W.A.T.: Firefight (2011), and S.W.A.T.: Under Siege (2017), and television shows such as FBI, Criminal Minds and The Blacklist (2013).
FBI SWAT also appears in several video games, such as SWAT 4 (2005), Payday 2 (2013), Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege (2015), Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands (2017), Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint (2019), and Ready or Not (2021).
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