FBI Special Weapons and Tactics Teams are specialized tactical teams (SWAT

SWAT

A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...

) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...

 (FBI). SWAT agents are specially trained to intervene in high-risk events like hostage and barricade situations. The FBI maintains SWAT teams at each of its 56 field offices throughout the country varying in size up to about 42 members. In the event of a large scale problem that local law enforcement does not have the resources to handle, FBI SWAT teams from the local field office, as well as outside the local region can be dispatched to aid the local authorities.

Roles

SWAT teams are considered very versatile and can be used in many different Mission Types.

Examples

• High risk arrests (armed and dangerous subjects)
• Hostage rescue
• Car stops
• Tubular assault
  Assault
  In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
  
  s (aircraft, trains, buses, etc.)
• Stronghold assaults (structures requiring specialized breaching equipment that local law enforcement might not have access to)
• Fugitive
  Fugitive
  A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals...
  
   tracking (in rural
  Rural
  Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
  
   environments)
• Operations in WMD environments
• Dignitary
  VIP
  VIP and V.I.P. is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:-In general:* Vacuum insulated panel* Values, Influence, and Peers, an anti-crime campaign in Ontario elementary schools* Variable Information Printing, a form of on-demand printing...
  
   protection
• Coordinate multi-location warrant service
• Site surveys for high visibility events
• Aircraft Hijackings
• Specialized sniper
  Sniper
  A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
  
   operations

Utilization

Several factors can determine the use for SWAT. Some of those factors are:

• The potential of violence
• The potential risk to law enforcement and the public
• The location of the warrant service and case requirements

Enhanced FBI SWAT Teams

A total of nine of the larger FBI SWAT teams, bear the designation of "Enhanced FBI SWAT" Teams, they are specially trained to be able to assist the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team

Hostage Rescue Team

The FBI Hostage Rescue Team is the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation's counter-terrorism paramilitary tactical team. The HRT is trained to rescue U.S. citizens and allies who are held by a hostile force, either terrorist or criminal...

 if needed, Enhanced FBI SWAT teams while comprising a larger number of personal than regular teams in addition to having access to a more extensive range tactical equipment and are also available for a worldwide deployment should the need arise.

Weapons utilized

FBI SWAT Teams carry a variety of weapons that are generally found in most other law enforcement and counterterrorist tactical teams. The following are some of the primary weapons of FBI SWAT:

• The MP5/10 Submachine gun
  Heckler & Koch MP5
  The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....
  
  
• The M4 Carbine
  M4 Carbine
  The M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.It is a gas-operated,...
  
  
• The M1911A1 Springfield Professional Custom Pistol (.45 ACP
  .45 ACP
  The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
  
  )
• The Glock 22 Pistol
  Glock pistol
  The Glock pistol, sometimes referred to by the manufacturer as Glock "Safe Action" Pistol, is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Glock Ges.m.b.H., located in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria. The company's founder, engineer Gaston Glock, had no experience with firearm design or...
  
   (.40 S&W
  .40 S&W
  The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could...
  
  )
• The Remington 870 Shotgun
  Remington 870
  The Remington Model 870 is a U.S.-made pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, Inc. It is widely used by the public for sport shooting, hunting, and self-defense. It is also commonly used by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.-Development:The Remington 870 was...
  
  
• The Precision Arms Sniper Rifle (.308 cal)

Vehicles utilized

The FBI SWAT teams use vehicles similar to those that local SWAT teams use, such as:

• Specialized vehicles for insertion
  Insertion
  Insertion may refer to:*Insertion , the point of a tendon or ligament onto the skeleton or other part of the body*Insertion , the addition of DNA into a genetic sequence*Insertion loss, in electronics...
  
  into tactical situations and for tactical maneuvering while in tricky situations.
• In addition, if the SWAT officers want to avoid detection, they can use a variety of modified buses, vans, trucks, or other vehicles that would seem normal.