The Rise of SWAT: Sources
A list of sources for stats seen in the animated short film about S.W.A.T., for Peace Officer.
In 1964, S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons and Tactics) is formed.
Sources:, Mitchel P. Roth, Historical Dictionary of Law Enforcement (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001); and Theodore H. Blau, Psychological Services for Law Enforcement (Wiley, 1994).
By 1975, there were ~500 S.W.A.T. teams nationwide.
Source: Radley Balko, Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces (PublicAffairs, 2014).
In 1999, all 50 states have S.W.A.T.
Source: Rutherford Institute report: SWAT Team Mania: The War Against the American Citizen
Today: S.W.A.T. has increased 15,000% (from the late 1970s to today).
Source: Radley Balko, Rise of the Warrior Cop
Who has S.W.A.T.?
90% of U.S. cities over 50K utilize S.W.A.T.
80% of cities with 25K-50K have S.W.A.T.
Even towns with less than 5 thousand people have S.W.A.T.
Source: Radley Balko, Rise of the Warrior Cop, p.210
And 2010 US census:
- Middleburg, Pennsylvania pop. 1,363
- Mt. Orab, Ohio pop. 2,701
- Butler, Missouri pop. 4,201
7% of all S.W.A.T. deployments are for hostage, barricade or active shooter scenarios. 80% of all S.W.A.T. raids are to execute search warrants.
Sources:
Military grade weaponry now available to police departments: Grenade launchers, M16 submachine guns , sniper rifles, military bayonets, Humvees and other armored vehicles.
Sources: Megan Twohey, “SWAT Under Fire,” National Journal (January 1, 2000);
Radley Balko, Rise of the Warrior Cop, p. 209.
Since the ’70’s, S.W.A.T. deployment has increased more than 937% .
Sources: Radley Balko, Rise of the Warrior Cop; and study from Peter Kraska (Criminologist at University of Eastern Kentucky) from 1970-1995
There are approximately 50,000 S.W.A.T. raids in the United States annually, and there are more than 100 S.W.A.T. raids a day.
Source: Radley Balko, “Once a town gets a SWAT team you want to use it,” Salon (July 13, 2013).
