You are here:
- Home
- News/Issues
- Law Enforcement
- Careers: Police
- How to become a swat member?
Careers: Police/How to become a swat member?
Advertisement
Question
hi my name is vincent and im 19 years old. I will be turning 20 on October 6. My question is what do I have to do in order to get into the sawt team. Ever since i was little i would watch all the cop shows. They were my favorite. Since I was 10 years old my biggest dream has been wanting to become a police officer or swat. A brief discription of me, I;m really not that tall im 5'4'' and i weight 145 lbs. I hope that does not interfear with my goals. About 1 year ago i would hang out with cops in my town. They would just let me hang out with them, go out to calls with them and even help them out. I'm can speak 2 languages spanish and english. I hope that their is something that you guys can tell me to help me get this career out. Thank you.
Vincent,
In order to become a member of a SWAT team you are going to have to first worry about getting hired by a police department. A small perecentage of those apply for the police are actually accepted. Once you are hired you are going to spend years as a patrol officer learning all of the necessary tools to become a suscesful officer. Then, after years in patrol, there might be an opening in SWAT and you apply just like you would for a job opening in the private sector. So its not a matter of going straight to SWAT. The important thing now is to keep your record clean, your grades good, your school attendance nearly perfect, and a good traffic record.
Related Articles
- Diver Laura Wilkinson - Olympic Platform Diving Gold Medalist - 2008 U.S National Diving Team Member
- Syracuse University Dance Team Profiles
- Denver Synchronicity - Comments and Thoughts From Synchronized Skating Team Members Denver Synchronicity
- Kansas City SWAT - Kansas City SWAT Reality TV Show - KC SWAT
- SWAT 4
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.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.