What is SWAT team?
[[Image:SWAT.jpg|thumb|SWAT officers from the United States of America]] A '''SWAT team''' is a group of highly trained [[police officer]]s who deal with very dangerous [[criminal]]s. SWAT is an [[acronym]] that means '''s'''pecial '''w'''eapons '''a'''nd '''t'''actics. Originally SWAT stood for Special Weapons ASSAULT Team but years later was changed when Public Relations realized Assault is a crime and had a negative connotation when these officers used excessive force. The original name has been very effectively swept from internet sources and is difficult to now find references apart from microfiche newspaper articles. SWAT officers carry weapons of higher [[caliber]] than most police officers do, such as [[machine gun]]s, [[shotgun]]s, and [[sniper rifle]]s. Usually, police departments use SWAT teams to catch people who sell illegal [[Illegal drugs|drugs]] or try to hold people [[hostage]]. They also respond to serious crimes like [[bank]] [[robbery|robberies]] when normal police officers cannot control the criminals.<ref>SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) Phillip L. Davidson, Metropolitan Police Department Nashville-Davidson County, Tennesee. Hardcover – 1 Jun 1979, Publisher: Charles C. Thomas, Springfield Illinois, (ISBN: 9780398038908)</ref> The first SWAT team was formed in Los Angeles in 1966 by Police Commissioner Daryl Gates in the wake of the 1965 Watts Riots. The SWAT teams are usually called to deal with [[hostage]] situations. They plan the entry into the building where the hostages are being held. They look closely at all building entrances to choose the best option. They make use of equipment such as [[rappelling rope]]s, [[night vision]] goggles, a tactical [[shield]], [[flashbang grenade|flashbang]] and [[smoke grenade]]s, snake cameras and small cameras that fit under doors and into very small holes, among others. [[Image:Members of the 60th Security Police Squadron's Base Swat Team.jpg|thumb|SWAT team from the U.S. Air Force]] SWAT officers act as paramilitary units that tackle sit