Customer Reviews

The Trials And Tribulations Of Becoming A Swat Commander

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This book is clearly modeled after "Duffer's Drift" and fills a gap in those texts that deal with essential material and the more interesting fiction by combining an interesting scenario with an abundance of lessons learned. Consequently, it should be considered a "must read" for law enforcement SWAT personnel, but especially entry-level and first-line supervisors. The lessons are durable, reliable and relevant for all domestic law enforcement but are focused on that critical first-line supervisor. Especially poignant is the overall theme that doing nothing to prepare yourself to handle these types of situations is a recipe for disaster.

This book should be required reading for all SWAT officers, SWAT supervisors, and administrators in the SWAT chain of command; especially those in upper management. In addition to being the founder and first Director of the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA), the author is literally one of the founding fathers of the SWAT concept.

In this book, Capt. Kolman provides simple lessons for the reader in the form of a story told about a new SWAT commander named Lt. Oversight who works for the fictional Amazing Police Department. The reader follows Lt. Oversight through a series of dreams where he gets multiple chances to respond to the same SWAT call out. The first time that Lt. Oversight responds to the call out, he makes a royal mess of things. However, much like Bill Murray's character in the movie, "Groundhog Day," Lt. Oversight is forced to repeat the same incident over and over again while he gradually improves upon his choices and actions. The reader is able to learn from Lt. Oversight's mistakes and see how he should have solved the tactical, logistical, and administrative problems that are all too common in SWAT call outs. In the end, Lt. Oversight finally gets it right.

This is a short book that can be read in one sitting. The appendices alone are worth the purchase of the book. Appenix A, (Lessons Learned) is a list of 24 tactical truths that are universally accepted within the SWAT community but which many Patrol, Negotiator (CNT), and Administrative types still need to be educated about. Appendix B is entitled, "Selected Suspect/SWAT Comparative Options." It is a sort of "if he does that then you do this" decision-making guide for SWAT commanders. While no competent SWAT commander should rely solely on a book for his decisions, this appendix will go a long way towards helping commanders formulate correct decisions which are on par with accepted industry standards. Appendix B in particular should be reproduced and laminated into a handy reference card for every SWAT supervisor to have on his person at all times.

If you are involved in SWAT and you are serious about becoming a better operator, team leader, commander, or administrator, then you need to read this book.

This book was great but a little short. I have read it twice now but find that even though it's short it's full of great information and lessons learned on every page.

I read this book in just a few hours and found it to be one of the best that I have ever read on the subject of SWAT operations. The underlying leesons in this text could be of benefit to any tenured or new SWAT team leader or tactical commander. Excellent book!

This is a basic introduction to the decisions SWAT commanders face. It is short enough that all team leaders can and should read it.