A list of sources for stats seen in the animated short film about S.W.A.T., for Peace Officer.
Cadillac Gage Ranger used by Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office
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).