After Ferguson, Retro Report digs into the origins of SWAT teams and their 'mission creep'

After Ferguson, Retro Report digs into the origins of SWAT teams and their 'mission creep'
(Image credit: Retro Report)

SWAT teams are in the news after the local and county police in Ferguson, Missouri, used heavy force and military-grade armaments to deal with largely peaceful protests last month. But between "swatting" — where someone calls for a SWAT raid on an acquaintance or celebrity, as a horrible "prank" — and other botched raids, the paramilitary police units had their share of bad press before that.

Retro Report looked back at the "long and complicated history" of SWAT teams, from their beginnings in late-1960s Los Angeles to the "mission creep" that has followed. The name SWAT — Special Weapons and Tactics — was coined by future LAPD chief Daryl Gates (he originally wanted to call it Special Weapons Attack Team, but was dissuaded).

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.