Customer Reviews

Swat Teams: Explosive Face-offs With America's Deadliest Criminals

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While it discusses tactics overall the emphasis of this book is the study of actual encounters of SWAT teams throughout the country. Its a very readable book and at points chilling. A Police officers job is never easy and this book makes that point very clear. What was a little disappointing though was the author's presentation of the Branch Davidian Case. However the rest of the book is very good.

Since I was younger I've had an interest in special forces units, especially in S.W.A.T. teams. And though my knowledge on them was more than basic, I've always felt the need to know more. "Swat Teams..." was the perfect book, not only was it informative, but a great read that I had a hard time putting down. Snow, who is a Homicide Detective in the Indianapolis Police Department, breaks down S.W.A.T. in a chapter by chapter review. Some of the topics covered are the need for S.W.A.T. Team, Snipers, Intelligence & Training, and even the ocassional failures of S.W.A.T. A great read for anyone interested in the topic, or any reader in general.

This is a good introductory book for a person interested in finding out more about SWAT. However, it's little more than review for any law enforcement officer familiar with the basic SOP's and structure of their department's team. It is mostly anecdotal evidence and uses the same "suspect takes hostage, SWAT kills suspect or suspect surrenders" storyline to illustrate why those SOP's and structure exists.

Capt.Snow has showed in his book how difficult the SWAT Teams job is. How they not only have to face the perpetrators, but also the media in almost every times they are deployed, and the hostages families when the things don't go so wright as they would want. Snow explains many topics about SWAT Teams giving a very good information about and for this reason, I think this book must be only available for law enforcement. About this point he coments how many criminals copy systems ans tactics used for others. For this reason, I hope they don't read the book, because it would give it some advantage over the Police. Nevertherless, It's a very good book that I've enjojed a lot. Greetings to Capt. Snow.

This is a good book about SWAT how they work and all kind of different missions they do. It gives good information about SWAT and how they work. BUT I must say that this book don't "show" anything new! Everything is SOP ( and I am not a police officer) and it says the book show how to improve tactics-well it shows NOT!! It show some things, but...but how should I say- basic. The author could go much deeper into this I think. The book is good written but if you are looking to improve your tactics, well then this book is not for you. And like someone said "sometimes it is little TOO American" and I agree...
Good book for beginners and people who want to know how it is inside SWAT. For others, well maybee a good read but that's it.

SWAT Teams
By:
Robert L. Snow

This book is a like a manual. It starts out by telling how that cop's life is going to be when he signs up for the team he has always wanted to be a part of. It's gives that feeling, that if you make it then you are the best. It not only shows the pain to become the best and the life of being the best, but it also shows the tragedy that follows our lives. Our destiny, Death. It shows this is a way we'd rather not see it, but in the way that it really is. It sort of helps to calm those whom have lost their partner in an operation like this by telling the world their pain. And in it those who have this pain now have a place to turn to because their dearest freinds and closest family members have a generl idea of what it is like for them. For the seargents and veterans who train these cops, but even all their knowledge and experience can't save them. It shows how inevitable death is. But most importantly of all, it shows the men and women who have the courage to put forth their own life to help make hundreds of others safer.
SWAT Teams is what I call a first look book. It can be considered a career book because of its factual information. It talks about all the components needed to run a well trained SWAT Team. And it contains information from how an officer is to be traied to what type of weapons he must use. It also provides real stories about their horroric efforts. Including those that have succeeded and those that have failed. One story that started the idea of a SWAT Team and is by far one of the scarriest stories in the book is, The Texas Tower Sniper. Here a man went up to the clock tower of the University of Texas an began shooting the students and teachers on the campus. When the police arrived they became his next target. After an hour and a half Chief Miles ordered an assualt by through the use of armored cars on the shooter. They used the armored cars to get close enough to safely get into the building. Here they traveled to the top of the building and eliminated him.
This is just one of the many stories inside this book. It is a mindturning book and I strongly reccomend it for any person who has a dream to become a SWAT officer or who already is.

Mr Snow put together a good collection of SWAT stories and categorized them appropriately. However, as mentioned in other reviews, the book is like SWAT 101. It is very basic and factual. If you are looking for a book that gets in to the collective mind of a team, or develops stories through personal accounts that give a real gritty and visceral sense of the stories outlined, then this book is not a good buy. Mr Snow factually and dispassionately retells these events and allows the events to be interesting based only on the facts and not by his ability (or inability) to write dramatically or personably. All-in-all I'm glad I read the book. It felt like I was reading a 300 page police report most of the time, albeit a very interesting and at times entertaining police report.

Very simple yet elaborate enough to get some depth of SWAT. I'm not a law enforcer but just wanted to know more about SWAT. This book helped me a lot understand many aspects of SWAT such as Hostage Negotiations, Site Assault, Perimeters and Security, Team Work, etc. Very good read, and it has some useful pictures too.

A nice review about SWAT teams. The author explains about everything, including tactics, weaponry, all explained by examples. He also explains the need for SWAT teams. For European readers: the examples are little too "American". (Although, I have nothing against America)

This book is one of the best books. It gives you a first hand impression of what SWAT Teams do. I enjoyed reading the different cases even more than how they solve it. It was still a really good book that always kept you on your toes. IT told about all the equipment. It could have had more pictures and have the pictures that they had, in focus more.