SWAT Teams

When Charles Whitman sprayed bullets in a brutal killing spree from the heights of the University of Texas clock tower in 1966 he single-handedly made history by dashing the security of millions and changing law enforcement forever. In the wake of this horrifying event SWAT - Special Weapons and Tactics - teams were born. Since that time such desperate bloody face-offs with police have steadily increased making SWAT an invaluable and necessary part of law enforcement. Captain Snow author of the acclaimed Protecting Your Life Home and Property and a police officer with over 25 years experience delivers to the reader the immediacy of actual SWAT events - including both the notorious and the bizarre. We get a chilling glimpse into the desperate twisted mind of the hostage taker - often hovering precariously between violence and suicide - and witness the brilliant life-saving strategies SWAT commanders put into action to stop them. As Captain Snow demonstrates whether intervening during a tension-filled hostage showdown or serving an arrest warrant to a heavily armed drug lord SWAT teams are in general uniquely prepared to handle the most volatile and life-threatening police situations with poise speed and - when necessary - deadly force. From the unnerving events in Waco to the thousands of successes every year Snow analyzes what works and doesnt work in a SWAT team. When the smoke clears we find at the heart of this book the inspiring story of professionals who have dedicated their lives to saving others. Captain Snow gives us the real story behind the Hollywood image - at once exciting and sobering - of this relatively new and increasingly vital branch of law enforcement.