The first SWAT team was established in the Los Angeles Police Department in 1968. Since then, many American police departments, especially in major cities and at the federal and state levels of government, have established their own elite units under various names; these units, regardless of their official name, are referred to collectively as SWAT teams in colloquial usage.
Region: US
Weapons: assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, carbines, stun grenades, and high-powered rifles for snipers.
Reign: Present
Key Battles: The first significant deployment of LAPD's SWAT unit was on December 9, 1969, in a four-hour confrontation with members of the Black Panthers.