SWAT Disaster

Please note I know nothing of how a SWAT team acts or operates. I've relied on internet sources to help improve the accuracy, and I know the internet cannot always be trusted but hopefully, there is some truth within this story.

Please review. I've had opinions from family and friends but obviously they wouldn't say anything bad about it. I really aim to improve my writing skills. I will be using British terms and spellings.


Being part of a SWAT team is tough. The training is so intense, sometimes you wonder what the hell you've gotten yourself into. All of my men started off as police officers, it wasn't intended to happen that way, but for some reason it did. I guess it's better that way, as a police officer, you would have at least some experience out in the field. Being a part of my SWAT team is a voluntary process, I don't ask people to join, they ask me. If you feel that you've had enough of working for the police, even after just a year, I'd let you in, no question. However, it's how you fare in training that determines wherever you're allowed out in the field. If you pass the training, you have to go through two years of SWAT detail whether you want to or not. Once you pass, there's no backing out. Going back to the police force is an option but chances are you'd be branded a coward; you wouldn't be as respected as you once were.

We're no ordinary SWAT team because we are not in league with the police force, we are completely separate. That means, they do not call on us to handle parts of their investigations. We do things our way. I'm not too strict in deciding who I let through, at least I don't think so. For example, the youngest member is twenty three, who joined just over a year ago with only few months experience on the police force. I'm not sure about other SWAT teams, but this probably wouldn't be allowed. He has a lot of potential though and that's enough for me. Being young doesn't necessarily increase your chances of getting in. My team mainly consists of middle aged men and this means that the younger guys are hanging out with others twice their age. Most people may view this as wrong, sad, attention seeking, but you're hanging out with guys who have a protective streak. You're around the same people day after day, night after night so if there is someone who you don't get along with, you'd wish you had stayed in the police force.

Training is the same for everyone, no matter your age. It involves physical fitness every single day. Long distance runs, sometimes while wearing heavy body armour, are combined with push ups, sit ups, weight training and obstacle course training to build up your agility. Marksmanship is another vital aspect of SWAT training. I require all members to be master marksmen, and luckily they are and they are also qualified marksmanship trainers. Hitting a stationary target isn't enough. You have to practice firing while on the move, selecting hostile targets from friendly targets, firing into barricaded rooms or vehicles and shooting with a greater degree of accuracy than the average police officer. This training also includes handguns, long guns and sub-machine guns. Two members of my team are professional snipers who had required more advanced training. All my men go through negotiator training. We need to be smart by not saying anything stupid so that the suspect goes killing a hostage. Most of our suspects are short tempered, one wrong word could send your mission spiralling out of control.

Normally, SWAT teams would consist of about 60 men. In my team, including myself, there are 13 of us. My two snipers, the point man and 10 others who each have a special area of expertise including medical, weapon experts, explosive experts and the like. However, we all went through much more advanced training than those big SWAT teams associated with the police. Thirteen of us is more than enough to get a job done.

My name's Camden Baker and I'm the point man. As the point man, I'm always in the front line when conducting missions. It's my job to enter an unknown room or area first and neutralise any threat that I see. I make the most split second decisions and I will always ask myself the same questions – 'Is that person running at me armed?', 'Is that a suspect holding a gun?', 'Is that a hostage or a suspect?', 'Is it safe for me to signal my men in?' - Such decisions are a matter between life and death for my men and I.

This is where we are now. We've just rigged the main door to a bunker with explosives, I've got the detonator in my hand, and we don't know what to expect. We received a tip a few hours ago on the whereabouts of a killer who we have been searching for for five years. Mike Bridger is wanted for the murder of 15 people. He's so evasive, the police force and their accompanying SWAT team have given up on finding him. My team aren't going to give up though, he's a killer, a damn annoying killer, and he's going to die today.

I look behind me at my second in command, Oliver Jones, who is right next to me up against a wall, weapon at the ready. I nod at him and he raises his right hand, thumb up, signalling to the others that I'm about to blow the door to smithereens. I flip the switch and press down before turning slightly, shoulder against the wall. The door blows and I waste no time in dashing around the corner, though the blown apart door and into the dark room. I kneel, searching for any enemies lurking in the corners. Once I'm sure it's all clear, I stand up. "Clear!"

You've probably seen in fictional SWAT TV shows or films where each team member enters a room and quickly drops into a certain position or covers a certain part of the room. This isn't fictional, and it doesn't happen by accident. Each team member had an Area of Responsibility (AOR). The instant we make entry into a room, each SWAT agent immediately covers his AOR. This is planned so that we aren't in each others way, and ensures the entire room is covered as quickly as possible.

Each of my men take their respective AOR's, the room is dark compared to the shine outside and I can just about see that it's taking them a second to adjust their eyes.

I signal with my hand, telling them that we're going to be heading through a door in front of us. I enter first, checking to the left and right of the door entrance, to ensure that there is nobody concealing themselves there. Something catches my eye on the dirt floor and I hold up my left hand, curled into a fist, signalling to the others to stay where they are. I kneel down to get a better look. Peeking from underneath the dirt is a flash of silver and with closer inspection, I realise we are in great danger.