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Question
hey im peter, im 16 years old and im thinking about joining
swat. I know you have to be 21 and that first i need to
serve a couple of years in a regular police department. i
have five years to prepare for all this and by preparing i
mean getting my education in collage and working out to
build up my physical strength. So a couple of days ago i
came across a web site that talked about what you need to be
and what you need to have to become a SWAT member and it
said that i need to fit the minimum standards of hight,
weight, eyesight, and hearing. i wear glasses and i needed
to know what is the minimum standard for all of those
things. i dont want to waist all this time preparing for
something that i might not be able to do. thanks
Peter,
People do not go into law enforcement with the sole goal of joining SWAT. Not only is it unrealistic but its probably the result of watching police related television shows. Nothing that you see on television is realistic and most of the drama is provided so people will watch.
In fact most SWAT officers are regular patrol officers who, when a SWAT call out is announced, simply drive to the scene and change clothing.
If in fact you did end up on SWAT this would be the natural progression. First you would graduate from high school with a perfect disciplinary record and a near perfect attendance record. Then you would go on to college and get a degree. When you are 21 or 22 you would be old enough to apply for a position in police work. If you do get hired (about 1 in 100 do get hired) you would go to the academy and then on to a district station. After several years as a patrol officer you MIGHT have the opportunity to apply for SWAT if there is an opening.
Its not the time to worry about minimum standards since there are thousands of police departments and each has its own standards.
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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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