Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Ever since Charles Whitman gunned down over a dozen innocent people in 1966 from his perch atop the University of Texas clock tower, “SWAT team” has become a household word. In this compelling book, police veteran Robert L. Snow takes us into the midst of the nation’s heroic SWAT teams, allowing us to eavesdrop on harrowing negotiations between killers and cops. He gives us a balanced look at what SWAT teams do right and what they do wrong and recommends ways to improve their tactics in future hostage situations. While he gives no-holds-barred analyses of such dire failures as Waco, he also celebrates SWAT’s greatest triumphs—thousands of incidents in which no one was hurt. No policeman or citizen can afford to miss this harrowing yet hopeful look at society’s main weapon against sudden terror.Synopsis
An inside look at our first line of defense against terrorists and hostage takers.
Publishers Weekly
Special Weapons and Tactics teams were created in response to the Texas Tower massacre in 1966, when a rifleman in Austin shot 46 people, 15 fatally. They are now a feature of almost every big-city police force, made up of snipers, hostage negotiators and reconnaissance scouts. Indianapolis police officer Snow (Protecting Your Life, Home and Property) here covers aspects of SWAT work, discussing problems like coordinating intelligence in a command post, using psychologists in special cases and negotiating with hostage-takers. He lists the attributes of a good SWAT officer: he or she is a team player, emotionally stable, highly intelligent, physically strong and a crack shot. Snow stresses that a SWAT assault must have the elements of surprise, shock and violence and can be regarded a success if nobody is killed. In his informative volume, Snow presents dozens of instances from across the nation of triumphs and failures. Photos. (June)