Editing SWAT (section)

==== 1974 Symbionese Liberation Army shootout ====
On the afternoon of May 17, 1974, elements of the [[Symbionese Liberation Army]] (SLA), a group of heavily armed [[left-wing politics|left-wing]] [[Left-wing terrorism|guerrillas]], barricaded themselves in a residence on East 54th Street at Compton Avenue in Los Angeles. Coverage of the siege was broadcast to millions via television and radio and featured in the world press for days afterwards. SWAT teams engaged in a several-hour gun battle with the SLA; no police were wounded, but the six SLA members died in the conflict, which ended when the house caught fire and burned to the ground.

By the time of the SLA shootout, SWAT teams had reorganized into six 10-man teams, each team being divided further into two five-man units, called elements. An element consisted of an element leader, two assaulters, a scout, and a rear-guard. The normal complement of weapons was a sniper rifle (a [[.243]]-caliber [[bolt action|bolt-action]], based on the ordnance expended by officers at the shootout), two [[.223]]-caliber semi-automatic rifles, and two shotguns. SWAT officers also carried their service revolvers in shoulder holsters. Standard gear included a [[first aid kit]], gloves, and a [[military gas mask]]. At a time when officers were usually issued six-shot revolvers and shotguns, it was a significant change to have police armed with semi-automatic rifles. The encounter with the heavily armed Symbionese Liberation Army, however, sparked a trend towards SWAT teams being issued [[Bulletproof vest|body armor]] and automatic weapons of various types.

A report issued by the LAPD after the SLA shootout offers one of the few firsthand accounts by the department regarding SWAT history, operations, and organization. On page 100 of the report, the Department cites four trends which prompted the development of SWAT. These included riots such as the [[Watts riots]], which in the 1960s forced the LAPD and other police departments into tactical situations for which they were ill-prepared; the emergence of snipers as a challenge to civil order; political assassinations; and the threat of urban [[guerrilla warfare]] by militant groups. "The unpredictability of the sniper and his anticipation of normal police response increase the chances of death or injury to officers. To commit conventionally trained officers to a confrontation with a guerrilla-trained militant group would likely result in a high number of casualties among the officers and the escape of the guerrillas." To deal with these under conditions of urban violence, the LAPD formed SWAT, notes the report. The report states on page 109, "The purpose of SWAT is to provide protection, support, security, firepower, and rescue to police operations in high personal risk situations where specialized tactics are necessary to minimize casualties."<ref name="SWAT02">{{cite web
| url         = http://www.courttv.com/archive/trials/soliah/docs/lapdreport.pdf
| title       = Report following the SLA Shoot-out (PDF)
| publisher   = Los Angeles Police Department
| access-date  = July 4, 2008
| url-status     = dead
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120226115805/http://www.trutv.com/newname.html
| archive-date = February 26, 2012
}}</ref>