SWAT teams were created in the 1960’s to combat hostage takings, sniper shootings and violent unrest. Since then, the specialized teams have morphed into a force increasingly used in routine policing, most often to serve drug warrants. The media has shone a light on isolated botched raids, but it took the show of force in response to protests in Ferguson, Missouri to start a national dialogue on the appropriate role of SWAT teams in today’s police force.
Click here to watch the Retro Report on the rise of the SWAT team, and here to read the corresponding New York Times article.
Click here to listen to a radio interview on KCRW.
Click here to listen to a radio interview on Wisconsin Public Radio.
Olivia Katrandjian 