Coordinates	08°35′″N123°20′″N
Unit name	Special weapons and tactics
Dates	1968–Present
Type	Special Operations
Role	Paramilitary unit, Domestic Counter-Terrorism and Law Enforcement
Other names	ESU, ETF, SRU, SRT, CIRT, ERT, TRT, TRG, STAR, TAC, EST, SOT

A SWAT (special weapons and tactics) Glock pistols, Heckler & Koch UMP, and 5.7x28mm FN P90. and 1100, Mossberg 500 and 590.

Common carbines include the Colt CAR-15 & M4 and Heckler & Koch G36 & HK416. can be found used by marksmen or SWAT officers when a longer ranged weapon is needed.

Common sniper rifles used are M14 rifle and the Remington 700P. Many different variants of bolt action rifles are used by SWAT, including limited use of .50 caliber sniper rifles for more intense situations. and NYPD use both the B.E.A.R. and the smaller BearCat variant. Anaheim Police Department has a customized B.E.A.R. fitted with a ladder for assaulting multi-story buildings.

The Tulsa Police Department's SOT (Special Operations Team) uses an Alvis Saracen, a British-built armored personnel carrier. The Saracen was modified to accommodate the needs of the SOT. A Night Sun was mounted on top and a ram was mounted to the front. The Saracen has been used from warrant service to emergency response. It has enabled team members to move from one point to another safely.

The police departments of Killeen and Austin, Texas and Washington, D.C. use the Cadillac Gage Ranger, as does the Florida Highway Patrol.

Criticism of SWAT

The use of SWAT teams in non-emergency situations has been criticized. Radley Balko, a policy analyst at the Cato Institute, author of Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America. Other studies include Warrior Cops: The Ominous Growth of Paramilitarism in American Police Departments by Diane Cecilia Weber from the same institute and Militarizing American Police: The Rise and Normalization of Paramilitary Units by Dr. Peter Kraska and his colleague Victor Kappeler, professors of criminal justice at Eastern Kentucky University, who surveyed police departments nationwide and found that their deployment of paramilitary units had grown tenfold since the early 1980s.

See also

Hostage Rescue Team

List of special response units

SWAT World Challenge

Manhunt (law enforcement)

SWAT videogame series

Swatting

Special reaction team

References

External links

NTOA.org The National Tactical Officers Association, a national organization of tactical professionals.

ITOTA.net The International Tactical Officers Training Association, an organization of tactical professionals more recently established than the NTOA.

SWAT USA Court TV program that broadcasts real SWAT video.

Cato Institute Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America

DetroitSwat.com

The Armored Group, LLC. Manufacturer of SWAT Vehicles

ShadowSpear Special Operations: SWAT

Special Counterterrorism and Interventions Units worldwide

Category:Law enforcement units Category:Law enforcement in the United States Category:Los Angeles Police Department Category:History of Los Angeles, California Category:Non-military counter-terrorist organizations Category:Organizations established in 1968

Coordinates	08°35′″N123°20′″N
Caption	Jackson at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con
Alt	An African-American man is at the centre of the image looking to the left and smiling. He is wearing a hat, glasses, a white jacket and a black t-shirt that says "MoFo".
Birth date	December 21, 1948
Birth place	Washington, D.C., United States
Occupation	Actor, producer
Years active	1972–present
Birth name	Samuel Leroy Jackson
Spouse
Website	www.samuelljackson.com

Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American film and television actor and film producer. After Jackson became involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas, before meeting his mentor, Morgan Freeman, and the director Spike Lee. After gaining critical acclaim for his role in Jungle Fever in 1991, he appeared in films such as Patriot Games, Amos & Andrew, True Romance and Jurassic Park. In 1994 he was cast as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction, and his performance received several award nominations and critical acclaim.

Jackson has since appeared in over 100 films including Die Hard with a Vengeance, The 51st State, Jackie Brown, Unbreakable, The Incredibles, Black Snake Moan, Snakes on a Plane, as well as the Star Wars prequel trilogy and small roles in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 2 and Inglourious Basterds. He played Nick Fury in Iron Man and Iron Man 2, the first two of a nine-film commitment as the character for the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Jackson's many roles have made him one of the highest grossing actors at the box office. Jackson has won multiple awards throughout his career and has been portrayed in various forms of media including films, television series, and songs. In 1980, Jackson married LaTanya Richardson, with whom he has one daughter, Zoe.

Early life

Jackson was born in Washington, D.C. Jackson revealed in the same Parade interview that he began to feel empowered with his involvement in the movement, especially when the group began buying guns. However, before Jackson could become involved with any significant armed confrontation, his mother sent him to Los Angeles after the FBI told her that he would die within a year if he remained with the Black Power movement.

Acting career

1970s–1980s

Jackson initially majored in marine biology at Morehouse College before switching to architecture. He later settled on drama after taking a public speaking class and appearing in a version of The Threepenny Opera. Jackson began acting in multiple plays, including Home and A Soldier's Play. He appeared in several television films, and made his feature film debut in the blaxploitation independent film Together for Days (1972). Throughout his early film career, mainly in minimal roles in films such as Coming to America and various television films, Jackson was mentored by Morgan Freeman. After a 1981 performance in the play A Soldier's Play, Jackson was introduced to director Spike Lee who would later include him in small roles for the films School Daze (1988) and Do the Right Thing (1989). Jackson commented on the transition, "It was a funny kind of thing. By the time I was out of rehab, about a week or so later I was on set and we were ready to start shooting." He returned for , seeing his minor supporting role develop into a major character. Mace Windu's purple lightsaber in the film was the result of Jackson's suggestion; he wanted to be sure that his character would stand out in a crowded battle scene. In 2009, the couple started their own charitable organization to help support education.

Jackson has revealed in an interview that he sees every one of his movies in theaters with paying customers claiming that "Even during my theater years, I wished I could watch the plays I was in — while I was in them! I dig watching myself work."

Jackson is bald, but enjoys wearing unusual wigs in his films. His first bald role was in The Great White Hype. Jackson has a clause in his film contracts that allows him to play golf during production. He has played in the Gary Player Invitational charity golf tournament to assist golf icon Gary Player raise funds for needy children in South Africa. He stated that the golf course is the only place where he "can go dressed as a pimp and fit in perfectly". Jackson is also a keen basketball fan, and especially favors the Toronto Raptors and the Harlem Globetrotters. He also became a Liverpool F.C. fan after filming The 51st State in Liverpool. Jackson, a known lover of Ireland, also supports a Dublin based football team Bohemian F.C.

Jackson drew upon his middle class roots during the 2008 Democratic Primary when he campaigned for then Illinois Senator Barack Obama in Texarkana, Texas. He said "Barack Obama represents everything I was told I could be growing up. I am a child of segregation. When I grew up and people told me I could be president, I knew it was a lie. But now we have a representative... the American Dream is a reality. Anyone can grow up to be a president."

Filmography

References

Bibliography

Further reading

Dils, Tracey E. Samuel L. Jackson (Black Americans of Achievement). Chelsea House Publications, 1999. ISBN 0-7910-5282-6.

External links

Official site of Samuel L. Jackson

Extensive biography of Samuel L. Jackson

Category:1948 births Category:Actors from Tennessee Category:Actors from Washington, D.C. Category:African American actors Category:African American film actors Category:African Americans' rights activists Category:African American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Independent Spirit Award winners Category:Living people Category:Morehouse College alumni Category:People from Chattanooga, Tennessee Category:People from Washington, D.C. Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics