Cover photo by Stan Nielsen		Copyright © 2002 Eugene Nielsen

Los Angeles County covers an area of 4,081 square miles which is approximately 800 square miles larger than the combined area of the states of Delaware and Rhode Island. There are eighty-eight municipalities in Los Angeles County including the nation’s second largest city, Los Angeles. The county also includes an occupied offshore island, Catalina Island.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) provides law enforcement services to all unincorporated county areas, forty-one contract municipalities, and municipalities that have mutual aid agreements with the Sheriff’s Department. The present Sheriff, Leroy D. Baca, joined the Department in 1965. The voters elected him Sheriff in 1998.

The LASD is the largest sheriff’s department in the world with 8,887 fulltime deputies, 746 reserve deputies and 6,127 civilian support personnel. LASD also has one of the best SWAT teams in the nation-the Special Enforcement Detail (SED).

The SED is part of the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB). The SEB is the Department support unit and provides a variety of specialized services throughout Los Angeles County. The SEB is comprised of five details: the Canine Services and Search Detail (CSD), Emergency Services Detail (ESD), Mounted Enforcement Detail, Special Motorcycle Detail, and the Special Enforcement detail (SED).

SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT DETAIL Established in 1968, the SED was one of the nation’s first SWAT teams. Responsibilities of the SED include high-risk tactical situations (barricaded suspects, hostage situations, high-risk warrant service), dignitary protection/security escorts (visiting dignitaries, protection missions involving the transportation of high risk inmates, mission specific mobile field force deployment), mission specific crime prevention (patrol stations, detective units), and the conduct of security threat assessments of critical County facilities. The primary mission of the SED is to save lives-both the lives of law enforcement personnel and the public. The SED averages 200 SWAT activations per year. There were 171 activations in 2001 (102 high-risk warrant services and 69 high-risk call-outs/barricaded suspects incidents). Nearly all incidents are resolved without lethal force. In 2001, there were four incidents that required lethal force to be employed.

A Special Enforcement Detail long rifle team. Deputy Fred Keelin is shown at left with suppressed Tango 51 .308 precision rifle. Deputy Guy Geisler is acting as spotter.

The MP5 SMG is the primary entry team weapon of the Special Enforcement Detail. Photo courtesy Heckler and Koch.

Two Special Enforcement Detail deputies on the skids of one of the Department’s helicopters. Photo courtesy Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.	Special Enforcement Detail Entry Team in action. High-risk warrant service accounts for the majority of call-outs. Photo courtesy Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

ORGANIZATION & DEPLOYMENT
The SED is a full-time SWAT unit. Daily activities of the SED are managed by a lieutenant who also manages SEB training and scheduling. The current SED lieutenant is Daryl Evans.

The SED has an authorized strength of fifty deputies and is organized into six special weapons teams. Each team consists of a team leader and seven deputies. Deputies are assigned to a five-man entry team or a two-man long rifle team. Three SED deputies are assigned to perform administrative duties (e.g., radioman, scheduling, and scribe) within the detail.

Each special weapons team is tasked with a particular area of expertise and is identified by color:
  • Gray: breaching (tools and explosives) program.
  • Gold: training.
  • Black: shooting cadre.
  • Tan: crowd/riot control.
  • Blue: technical assault (robotics/ electronic surveillance and detection equipment).
  • Red: rural operations/rappelling.

In a tactical operation, the area commander (Department executive) serves as the incident commander in charge of the overall operation. The SEB captain or an SEB lieutenant is the team commander and directs the overall planning and execution of the SWAT operation. A sergeant is team leader and supervisor of SWAT personnel. He also is a critical part of the entry team.

The team scout is usually one of the more senior members of the team. The scout develops and coordinates a tactical plan with other team members and acts as second-in-command should the team leader be incapacitated. The team backup is also one of the more senior members of the team. The back-up assists the scout and acts as scout if the team’s regular scout is absent.
The team’s fourth man is responsible for gathering intelligence relevant to a SWAT activation (warrant service/callout). The fifth man is responsible for determining and gathering the necessary team equipment needed for an activation. The sixth man is responsible for carrying and utilizing less-lethal weapons (in addition to his primary weapon system) and is part of the initial contact/arrest team.

Each long rifle team has at least two highly trained marksmen. The nature of the activation determines the specific number of long rifle teams deployed. A minimum of two long rifle teams (four deputies) is deployed during each barricade incident. The gas team (two SWAT team members) has the primary responsibility of inner-perimeter containment. Gas teams are responsible for deploying chemical agents (tear gas) and diversionary devices. If necessary, they may be employed as part of the secondary entry element. A minimum of two gas teams (four deputies) are deployed during every barricade incident. Two deputies are assigned to deploy robotics, optics and other electronic devices as needed. These deputies may also comprise the initial contact/arrest team. A minimum of two ESD paramedics and a K-9 (dog and handler) team respond to all SWAT activations. All paramedics and dog handlers attend SEB’s Basic SWAT School and most ESD paramedics are former SWAT personnel. There’s also a crisis negotiation team on scene. A crisis negotiation team responds to all SWAT activations. Each negotiations team consists of five specially trained deputies. A radioman is deployed on every SWAT activation. The radioman is responsible for command post operations and radio communications between the team and command post personnel. Additionally, a deputy from the Sheriffs Headquarters Bureau responds and acts as a liaison to the news media.
	The subdued shoulder patch worn by members of the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB), including members of the Special Enforcement Detail (SED) on their OD BDU’s. Photo courtesy Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
	Deputies assigned to the special weapons teams wear the subdued special weapons team patch above the left BDU shirt pocket. Photo courtesy Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

SELECTION & TRAINING
All applicants for the SED must have a minimum of two years of field experience. Most recent appointees have eight to ten years of experience. The selection process includes a physical agility test, an oral interview and a thorough review of the applicant’s background and service record. SED deputies spend a minimum of 400 hours a year specifically dedicated to training. Passing the quarterly physical agility test, which includes a timed run on an obstacle course, is required to maintain a position on the SED.

SEB personnel conduct training schools throughout the year. The Basic SWAT School, Advanced SWAT School, Explosive Breaching School, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Course, and First Responder Training have been certified by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). The SEB also conducts the Long Rifle (Sniper) School, Tactical Firearms School, Riot & Crowd Control Training, Incident Command Course, and Tactical Science Course.

Students attending SEB training schools include SEB personnel, members of other U.S. law enforcement agencies, U.S. and foreign military personnel’ and foreign police officers. TheSEB has provided training to the U.S. Navy SEALs, USMC SRT, and U.S. Air Force Security Police. Australian law enforcement personnel have attended SEB SWAT Schools for many years. Venezuelan police officers attended the SEB Basic SWAT School in 1999 as well as students from Switzerland, Australia, France and other countries in previous years. Students from eighteen different agencies attended a recent SEB Long Rifle School.

WEAPONS
A variety of lethal and less-lethal weapons are a part of SED’s training. Lethal weapons include the Heckler & Koch MP5 SMG (primary entry team weapon), Beretta M92FS (standard issue pistol), Colt Ml6 rifle, Colt M4 and Commando model carbine, Benelli MI Super 90 Entry shotgun, Remington 870 shotgun (utilized for breaching), custom-built Remington Model 700 precision long rifles in .308 Winchester (7.62x51) and .300 Winchester Magnum (7.62x66B), M-60 machine gun, and Armalite AR-50 .50 BMG bolt-action rifle. Some of the weapons utilize sound suppressors.

Less-lethal weapons employed by SED personnel include: ARWEN, 37mm gas gun, noise/flash diversionary devices (NFDDs), a variety of chemical and impact munitions, and the Taser International M26 Advanced Taser.

The LASD is on the forefront of less lethal technologies. The present commander of the SEB, Captain Charles "Sid" Heal, is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities on less lethal weapons.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
The LASD prides itself on being on the cutting edge of tactics and technology. The Department’s Technology Exploration Project is headquartered at the SEB. A sergeant is assigned to the project on a full-time basis.

The SED has been experimenting with a number of emerging technologies over the past few years and is evaluating them for possible future deployment. Many of these technologies are similar to those presently being evaluated by the U.S. Army’s Land Warrior Program. These technologies primarily focus on enhancing the teams’ situational awareness.

Deputy Ralph Garay standing in front of a PeaceKeeper armored vehicle.
He is holding a Colt AR-15 rifle equipped with a 14.57 inch barrel,
suppressor, Beta magazine and ACOG scope.

TRANSPORTATION
Transportation at the disposal of SED includes standard patrol cars (Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors), Peace Keeper armored vehicles and specialized trucks. The specialized trucks are outfitted to carryall of the team and their equipment. The trucks also act as a mobile command post in the field.

A fleet of Department aircraft is at SED’s disposal. Available aircraft include MD-530 NOTAR and Sikorsky ST-58 Helicopters. These provide the SED with the capability of rapid transport to any situation that may develop anywhere in the county.
Residents of Los Angeles County can feel secure in the knowledge that they are protected by one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the world, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

JULY 2002 . S.W.A.T. 47

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