Considering a career in SWAT?

First off you have to have some critical thinking skills to get to be a cop.

You apparently do not since you believe what you see on entertainment movies & TV shows.

SWAT is not a career.

Being a cop is.

SWAT is, in 99% of SWAT teams in the US, a part time assignment.

You are only working as a SWAT officer when needed or during the 16 hours of extra required training a month

You do not cross over. Military is not in any way training for civilian police.

A cop has to be an independent on the street policy maker. They cannot depend on officers far away for basic guidance or orders.

The rules of engagement are different as is weapons handling and use.

Basic info for those who want to be a real cop.

There are basically 2 ways of becoming a police officer in the US. What method to use depends on the state you wish to become a cop in and the specific department.

First the simplest. In many states you must be hired by a department first. They then send you to, at least, a basic police academy. You graduate, take and pass the state certification test and you are a cop working for the department that hired you. No matter what state they are in larger municipal departments like to do things that way.

Second. In other states you can “self sponsor”. That means you find a police academy, those states publish a list of approved schools, you apply, pay them, go through a basic academy, pass the state test, get certified and go out trying to find a job. Not until hired by departments are you a cop.

As far as education goes, no state requires more than a GED or HS diploma. Most of the larger or better paying departments often require 45 to 60 semester hours of college. None care what care if you’re major was in English Lit. or in botany. They only care that the school is fully accredited and that all course of the 60 hours were at college level.

I feel that any of the police related courses of study, like criminal justice, police science, etc. are way too limited in scope for a future cop. Cops need wide ranging education and experience to be effective.

When you attend a police academy you get the current criminal justice classes you need to be a cop.

Remember that the academy is a police college. In fact many award credit hours via a local community college.

You have to check the recruitment web sites for some departments you may wish to join to see what their requirements are and if they hire first when a test will be given