SWAT teams came about because of the Watts riots in 1965. Los Angeles was the first. The real reason we have them in every podunk town is the 1997 National Defense Authorization Act, signed by Bill Clinton. That created the mechanism by which the DOD could transfer surplus military hardware to local police departments. The 1033 Program destroyed policing in America and kicked the War on Drugs into a whole new level.
SWAT teams came about because of the Watts riots in 1965. Los Angeles was the first. The real reason we have them in every podunk town is the 1997 National Defense Authorization Act, signed by Bill Clinton. That created the mechanism by which the DOD could transfer surplus military hardware to local police departments.
The 1033 Program destroyed policing in America and kicked the War on Drugs into a whole new level.