The Los Angeles SWAT Team Turns 40

March 25, 2011 11:55 PM

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LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Decades of protecting and serving on the front lines of danger. Tonight the LAPD’s elite SWAT Team is celebrating a milestone anniversary — 40 years since it became an official unit. Swat members old and new gathered to celebrate the platoon’s history. KCAL9 had the only camera inside the official celebration with our Laura Diaz reporting.

linda

Laura Diaz you should be ashamed of this report. How can you do a report on the history of the SWAT team and never mention Daryl F. Gates. SHAME ON YOU.
PHIL YAMAMOTO

Laura Diaz has NEVER been police friendly. Daryl Gates is the originator of SWAT. This oversight was not by accident, and was intentionally left out. Shame on CBS.
Pete

LA Swat team turns 40.

Wow … I just hate to think about all those guys in blue hitting middle age crisis at the same time. Ha! Ha! Ha!! Have a great day SWAT team, but stay away from the blow-up dolls.

Pete in Redondo
EH

Leave your dogs at home for this one, people. Trust me.
What the f…k

Time to retire this gangsters!!!!
drozone69

The article should state 40 years of strong arm bulling tacticts by a group of trigger happy steroid ridden military rejects.They love to run around our city and have the budget and wepeonry of a small para military secret battallion.

mister s

Ahhhh….. is somebody mad their favorite crack house was raided by SWAT?
James

drozone, for you to be taken seriously about your comments, of which you nothing about, how about working in a spell check. Your knowledge about the swat team and proper spelling of the english language are comparative to your level of education…slim or none

Peacemaker Demo

platoon’s ? heres one of the definitions “A subdivision of a company of troops”
sure sounds like the egos are way over inflated to me. back in the beginning, people had respect for swat, but now with them shooting first and asking questions later, the only people that respect them are the sheep hidden in there house. No knock search warrents have killed more innocent people thanks to the trigger happy “wanna be millitary” swat teams just looking for a rush.
RANGER RICK

BEING A MEMBER FROM 73 – 77 WERE THE PROUDEST MEMORIES OF MY ADULT LIFE. GOD BLESS THEM ALL. GOD REST THE SOUL OF CHIEF GATES.
20

SWAT is a life saving organization and has proven that year after year. These sixty officers and nine supervisors are the thinnest blue line and last resort for patrol officer and detectives when they need help or assistance. LAPD SWAT is highly respected in the law enforcement community and by most citizens. For those above that have issues they should spend a day or an hour seeing what really happens day after day as these officers train and place their life in danger for all citizens even the ones who bad mouth them. Congratulations to all the officers of SWAT from back in its beginnings in 1966 through 1971 when SWAT became a unit in Metropolitan Division. We also thank and congratulate those who initiated the team, Inspector John Powers, Detective John Nelson, and The Chief Daryl F. Gates. We owe a debt of gratitude to a number of officers who have been injured while serving as SWAT officers and to those SWAT officers who gave their life’s for our society, Officer Louie Villalobos, Officer Randy Simmons, and Officer Robert J. Cottle..