Quick Question about the USMC and Police/SWAT

[ChknSanwch]

My question is if I would have a better chance of becoming a SWAT member if I enlist in the Marines compared to someone who wasnt in the Marines or Military for that matter. My guess would be that if a Police/SWAT force sees your background and everything and sees that you were a Marine, you would be a prime candidate for a SWAT position....I'm probally wrong though. I want nothing more to become a Marine, its just that I was thinking about the whole SWAT thing and what not...like after the Corps or something. I also heard that if you complete at least 4 years of active duty in any Military Branch, you dont have to go to college to become part of the Police or SWAT force.. is this true?

Thanks,
Matt

[LeonardLawrence]

ChcknS-

I think that you can find more specific information on the department you are interested website. I think you will find that requirements vary by department even in the same state. Most PDs require you to serve in patrol for X years first before becoming SWAT.

I know I have seen several PDs that allow you to waive some education in lieu of four years experience.

From people I have talked with in the field a combination of service and EDUCATION could never hurt.

Good luck to you!

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

This is no different that people asking about being a sniper, recon, or any of those jobs in the Marine Corps. Become a police officer first, be the best cop you can be, and then maybe you'll get a chance to be a SWAT guy. You aren't going to be on a SWAT team when you first become a police officer, you have to earn your way there.

And, being a Marine may help some, but it can hurt as well. The tactics are more different than you may think. You can't have a military mindset when you are serving as a SWAT cop.

[STA0311]

It may look good on a Resume, but you gotta do your time on the road and prove yourself as a good, honest, and trustworthy cop first. And keep in mind that you may have other prior service Officers in the PD with you going for that spot. We are about a 20 Officer PD, and almost all are prior service.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Agree with STA on this. There are very few, if any, departments that hire 'off the street' for SWAT. You'll have to do your time in patrol, work the streets, and be a REAL cop long before you'll even get to try out for SWAT.

BTW, I've been a cop for 15 years, did the SWAT thing, and preferred working patrol to that. Too much BS most of the time. It really 'looks' cool from the outside, but most of the SWAT callouts I did were 'hurry up/gear up/shut up/and wait wait wait wait wait /stand down'. Again, it looks really cool to bust through doors and wear all the black ninja trinkets....but it's not like they show on TV LOL.

Being a Marine will open the doors for you to apply, but everything after that is totally up to you. Some departments require college no matter what; others will waive that if you are prior military (no matter the branch). It literally is different agency to agency and state to state.

[ChknSanwch]

Thanks alot to all of you. The insight and info is apprieciated.

[USMCVet1992]

One of my best friends served on a Police SWAT Team. As stated by many others, you have to EARN your way into SWAT. You need to be the consumate professional in order to to achieve that operating standard, and be the best at what you do. But also as stated before, you need to worry about becoming a cop first. If you are going to apply in a large Metro area, there are about a million other guys trying out for the 2 open positions with the same background or better than you are offering. Your best bet is to get your military service and an EDUCATION to go along with that service irregardless of the branch. (I prefer the Marine Corps) The more you have to offer at the table, the more attractive an applicant you make. If you have 4 years of Military service and a Bachelors Degree, you are bringing more than most to the table. You will still have to pass all of the testing as well. Psych tests, Polygraph, B/PAD in some cases, Oral interviews and the such. It is a long and arduous process, but well worth it if you get hired on. Good luck to ya.

[Camper51]

My question is if I would have a better chance of becoming a SWAT member if I enlist in the Marines compared to someone who wasnt in the Marines or Military for that matter. My guess would be that if a Police/SWAT force sees your background and everything and sees that you were a Marine, you would be a prime candidate for a SWAT position....I'm probally wrong though. I want nothing more to become a Marine, its just that I was thinking about the whole SWAT thing and what not...like after the Corps or something. I also heard that if you complete at least 4 years of active duty in any Military Branch, you dont have to go to college to become part of the Police or SWAT force.. is this true?

Thanks,
Matt

Why does everyone think they can go play with the big boys without first doing the time??? Oh heck just go get your job as CEO of General Motors and skip the McDonalds training grounds...

NO ONE starts out as a BIG BOY unless your daddy died and owned the business, and even then he probably started you out as the mail room clerk...

Get it through your THICK skulls that first you have to learn the job before you can run the company...

Try being an NFL superstar right out of high school, fool...

[rvillac2]

Quick answer to quick question: Yes
But you can be the best Marine in the Corps and still not make it into SWAT.

I agree w/Leprechaun. For every dynamic breech, there are 300 warrant services and 300 hours of sitting on the perimiter.
Best job in the PD? Sergeant of Patrol : )

[STA0311]

Best job in the PD? Sergeant of Patrol : )

HA...not at my Department. They are swamped in reports all shift and dont get much road time at all.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Agree with Rvillac2, it IS the best job out there. Damn STA, who runs the road guys at your agency? Cpls? Or just lead officers?

I couldnt' deal with being a deskbound Sgt. That would suck.

Of course, I'm kinda deskbound now, but it's as the Sgt in charge of the communications center, which isn't bad; I'm a scanner squirrel anyway, so it's the best of both worlds.


Stay safe.

[STA0311]

They come out of the office and do respond as needed and back us up as needed. We are small though, usually only running about 3 cars per shift, and one of those is usually a Sgt.
The Sgt's kinda hate it as well...they are both pretty high speed and still love to get into things. But one thing about them, even though they are in the office alot, they are extremely good leaders. You always know that they are there for you and have your back!

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Then..that's all that matters! When I was a Cpl in a different agency, we ran our own squads, the Sgt's were the 'watch commander', basically; and therefore, left us alone LOL. Our guys weren't bad overall.

[ThraxMcBob]

I was a cop in both a small department and a Denver suburb department for 10 years.
In the smaller department we picked entry team members from our most tactically sound officers. Me and another cop were in charge of setting it up and we just obsereved patrol tactics, ability to learn, and willingness to train of the officers we picked. Same with the K-9 guys. Everyone wanted so we irritated alot of cops when we told them to pound sand. Most we picked were prior military. You have more of a chance of palying in a small department because of the lack of personnel. We actually had more meth lab entries than some Colorado metro departments.
On the Metro department there was a tryout session whenever there was an opening. Those openings were very rare. About 1-2 a year. The one tryout I went to there were 40 applicants that tried out for one spot.
Getting into SWAT is like trying to get into any elite group..Recon, FAST, Sniper.
Military expericenceis a bonus for the discipline and hopefully you have somewhat of a tactical brain. The US Marshal Service is recruiting exclusively from active duty military for all of its deputies.
Get college while you are in the Marines. most departments now require at least a 2 year degree no matter how much military experience.

[wkeeling]

I've been employed by moderately sized, state level, law enforcement agency for twenty years. Moderately sized in the sense that we employ just under 500 officers. I have to be honest with you. When I have someone come in and make inquiries about jobs with our agency and the first thing they want to talk about is, "When can I get on SWAT?", my first impulse is to politely show them the door. Priorities are in the wrong order. Law enforcement is a complicated and highly technical career these days. There's lots to learn and a whole bunch to prove before consideration for SWAT here. Prior Marine Corps is great and definitly makes points but get some college too. Good luck.