SWAT ( Special Weapons and Tactics ) teams are law enforcement units in the United States that use specialized or military equipment and tactics . First created in the 1960s for 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 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks . In the United States today , SWAT teams are deployed 50,000-80,000 times every year , 80 % of the time in order to serve search warrants , most often for narcotics . SWAT teams are increasingly equipped with military-type hardware and are trained to deploy against threats of terrorism , for crowd control , and in situations beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement , sometimes deemed " high-risk . " Other countries have developed their own paramilitary police units ( PPU ) s that are also described as or compared to SWAT police forces . SWAT units are often equipped with specialized firearms including submachine guns , assault rifles , breaching shotguns , sniper rifles , riot control agents , and stun grenades . They have specialized equipment including heavy body armor , ballistic shields , entry tools , armored vehicles , advanced night vision optics , and motion detectors for covertly determining the positions of hostages or hostage takers , inside enclosed structures
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Militarization of police