SWAT ( '' special weapons and tactics '' ) team is a law enforcement unit which uses specialized or military equipment and tactics . First created in the 1960s to handle riot control or violent confrontations with criminals , the number and usage of SWAT teams increased in the 1980s and 1990s during the War on Drugs and later in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks . In the United States as of 2005 , SWAT teams were deployed 50,000 times every year , almost 80 % of the time to serve search warrants , most often for narcotics . SWAT teams are increasingly equipped with military-type hardware and trained to deploy against threats of terrorism , for crowd control , hostage taking , and in situations beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement , sometimes deemed " high-risk " . Other countries have developed their own paramilitary police units ( PPUs ) which are also described as or comparable to SWAT forces
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
SWAT