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Question
i was hoping that you could help me, i was wondering what collage classes or if any to take to get into the swat team. i would also like to know if i have to be a police officer or something in that area before i could get into swat. and i would like to know how to become a registared sniper for the team.
Cody,
I am guessing that you are getting your idea of SWAT from a televisoin program? If so nothing that you are seeing is realistic. If it was no one would watch the show.
SWAT officers are police officers and have spent years and years on the street as uniformed police officers before they would ever be considered as possible candidates for SWAT. So yes you have to be a uniformed officer first, for many years, before you can go into SWAT and only a very few ever make it. In fact most SWAT officers are uniformed officers and drive around in police cars and when a SWAT call comes up they drive to the scene and change into their SWAT gear.
To answer your first question there are no college classes that you can take to prepare you for SWAT. What you should be doing is concentrating on getting the best grades possible in high school, having a perfect disciplinary record, and a near perfect attendence record and then worry about college later.
Sniper? If you are one of the lucky ones who is good enough to be hired by a police department, and then still want to be a SWAT officer, and are fortunate to be good enough, they will train you to become a sniper if they need one.
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Answers by Expert:
Jack Toomey
Expertise
U.S.: I am an expert in this category for the purpose of giving young people an idea what the hiring process involves for the position of police officer. I am getting a flood of questions from young people who are being influenced by unrealistic television shows. I'd ask you to consider that when you watch police shows on television that they are NOT realistic and most of what you see does not happen in real life. Please do not ask me about potential jail sentences that you, your friends, or family might receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. I am NOT a probation officer so I cannot answer questions about probation and parole matters. I am a retired police officer with 26 years experience.I worked in a variety of assignments including investigations, homicide, sex crimes, runaway investigations, missing persons, and fraud.I also dealt with the general public during that time giving a wide range of advice on matters such as domestic disputes, problem solving, teenage problems, civil/criminal matters, and dealing with the mentally ill. I am available to give sound and reasonable advice which can solve most problems. Please do not ask me to do homework questions or online interviews. Young people should not rely on the Internet for interviews. Local police officers are normally very agreeable to assist students with interviews and surveys.
Experience
Worked as a police officer/detective for 26 years.
Graduate of the University of Maryland.B.S. in Law Enforcement.Attended numerous schools and training courses involving investigations, interviewing, interrogations, crime detection, domestic violence, and others. Recognized in court as an expert witness.
Received numerous awards during my police career for expert investigations. Handled the most sensitive and confidential investigations. In 1999 I won an award for my work with high school students while working in my new career in a large suburban high school.
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