To Deploy, or Not to Deploy: An Examination of the Correlates of Support for the Use of SWAT Teams

While they were originally meant to be reserved for the most dangerous of situations, such as those involving heavily armed and barricaded suspects, the role of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams has expanded over time to include a wider variety of situations, including drug raids, routine patrol, and monitoring protests. This expanded use is believed to have the potential of worsening police-community relations and increasing the likelihood that citizens’ civil rights will be violated. Us