Special Weapons and Tactics
As day gives way to the enveloping darkness of night three ten man squads of police officers in combat boots, black jumpsuits, military helmets and body armor lock and load their Heckler & Koch MP-54 submachine guns and fan out through the neighborhood. Welcome to Fresno's Violent crime Suppression Unit. Deemed local law enforcement's "special forces" and Americas most aggressive swat team. Since 1994 the VCSU has patrolled Fresno's have-not suburbs in full military gear, with automatic assault rifles at the ready. The VCSU is backed by two helicopters with infrared scopes and an Army surplus armored personnel carrier, the unit is also equipped with attack dogs, smoke bombs,
Many contend that military training, which stresses absolute obedience and swift annihilation of the target-is not appropriate for good police behavior, which requires capturing suspected criminals (not killing them), minimizing the use of force, and acting with a scrupulous regard for the Constitution(Snow). tear gas, pepper spray, metal clubs and less than lethal "blunt trauma" projectiles. In large cities SWAT officers can be seen equipped with night vision, bullet proof vests, tear gas, "flash bang" explosives, bulletproof shields, Vietnam era helicopters, bomb squad robots, bulletproof helmets as well as fire retardant uniforms(Green). "If you're 21, male, living in one of these neighborhoods and you're not in our computer then there's definitely something wrong," says VCSU officer Paul Boyer as he enters information into his onboard laptop. Across America SWAT teams are on the rise. Many departments require their SWAT members to be "cap stunned" at least once a year, as in the case of Bellevue Nebraska's SWAT team. "At that point SWAT was going out several times a week. They are constantly being forced to upgrade their arsenal of weapons and equipment in order to stay ahead of the ever-growing sophisticated criminal. increased number of extremists and increased violent crime(Clark). Even medium- sized towns have swat teams. Aspiring SWAT officers must have at least four years with the department before applying. The weapon of choice for SWAT teams is the Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun-the same kind the Navy SEALS use. Tonight the area of operation is a desolate African-American neighborhood known on the street as the "Dog Pound.
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Acceptance Essays
