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Adam Johnson
Mrs. DeBock
English 4
6 April 2016
Service With Myrtle Beach Police Department
The police department has always been a huge requirement and priority for the country.
The effect is huge, but it is not always good. According to research Departments need to
develop long range plans for ensuring that police officers are prepared to meet the challenges of
working with the community and solving problems (Brechi). Ninety-five percent of the
population is usually friendly towards law enforcement but it is the rest of the five percent of
troublemakers and law breakers that our officers have to deal with. Our officers work day in and
day out to keep us safe at night from criminal activity and to do a soldier-like job here in the
streets at home. Everyday our officers are willingly put in life threatening situations to protect us
and our homes from the worst people humanity has to offer. Officers today are under a lot of fire
due to controversial cases such as racism in Ferguson, Missouri. Todays police officers need our
support to help them succeed and to improve their morality, dedication, and commitment. Their
experience as a police officer may vary depending on whether he or she are a patrolman, SWAT,
or riot team member.
Everything comes down to the patrolman because there is no department without them.
According to research Policing is changing to a more responsive, community oriented approach
which requires a change in the skills and knowledge of line officers (Brechi). Patrolmen make
up the majority of most law enforcement posts and divisions. Within law enforcement theres up
to 4 units in each state; city, county, sheriff, and state troopers. Each is responsible for their

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sectors along with their counterparts. City cops are the officers who who stay inside guard and
patrol the inner citys and the city limits. County officers are the ones you normally see
everyday patrolling around town, suburbs, shopping complexes and malls. Sheriffs mostly
patrol the outer areas of counties, including the backwoods, and work closely with the
Department of Natural Resources. State Troopers are the highways patrolman they are
responsible for handling mostly speeders and accidents on the freeways and highways, but the
problem with them is theyre so understaffed, in which is why response time to a call is so long.
A part of the police department is a very famed and feared unit called S.W.A.T which
stands for Special Weapons And Tactics. S.W.A.T teams are used for Apprehension of armed
and barricaded suspects, suicide intervention, warrant service under fire, protection of visiting
dignitaries, high-risk search and seizure, covert and undercover operations, crowd and riot
control, fugitive tracking in rural environments, hostage situations (Dees), bomb defusal, drug
busts along with assisting the D.E.A (Drug Enforcement Agency), and most rare, counterterrorism and counter-sniper operations. S.W.A.T is smart with tactically and heavily equipped
nowadays you can not tell the difference between U.S. Army soldiers and S.W.A.T members
anymore Officers perceptions varied by the type of agency they belonged to, the size of the
agency, their rank and their educational level (Brechi). Top picks for S.W.A.T candidates are
former military and/or current reserve or national guard serviceman their preferences are
normally Military Police, Infantry, and Special Forces. To get into Special Weapons And Tactics
some departments require a college degree of some sort whether it be a associates, bachelors etc.
along with being sent back to the academy with heavy physical training along with training in-special weapons, armored vehicle and helicopter insertion, close quarter combat tactics, and
counter-sniper operations.

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The purpose of riot teams are to stop riots and crowd control their primary purposes are
Disperse riots with tear gas, rubber rounds from assault rifles and/or shotguns, or water cannons,
Identify instigators of violence and arrest them, Maintain security around businesses government
facilities or installations, As for S.W.A.T officers as well as Riot members when their not on a
call specifically they just do their regular duty as a standard patrol officer. To join any
department and/or any team for most departments these days you need to be 21 years of age,
have citizenship in the United States, a valid driver's license, and no criminal history consisting
of felony convictions. According to research This training introduces officers to the protective
gear that is used to manage unruly crowds. This includes helmets, faceguards, body armor, gas
masks, and riot shields. Riot police also use specialized offensive weapons designed to subdue
or disperse crowds including tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, TASERs, water cannons, and
canine units (RiotPoliceCareers). Riot Officers are equipped the following items and gear when
the riot team has been deployed there has never been a successful attempt at a defeating the riot
squads. Los Angeles team has the most famed for both S.W.A.T and riot teams every city has
one by requirement in the rare and extreme the Army National Guard is called in to help handle
the situation.
Law enforcement is requirement for the nation and without it the streets would be chaos,
the whole nation would be lawless. Luckily we have the officers of our nation that we do
without them there would be anarchy and chaos throughout the entire country, disease would
spread rampant, no cures for the sick, and no food for the children. We owe our lives to today's
officers and especially guys like S.W.A.T and Riot teams and the men in blue we see everyday
who put their lives on the line, not knowing if their gonna get to say hi to their wives/husbands or
even children all to defend us.

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Works Cited
Breci, Michael G. "The Transition to Community Policing: The Departments Role in Upgrading
Officers Skills." Policing Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies &
Management 20.4 (1997): 766-76. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
Dees, Tim. "How to Become a S.W.A.T. Officer." InnerBody. 2016 HOWTOMEDIA, 11 Aug.
2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
"Horry County Police :: Home." Horry County Police :: Home. Horry County Government, n.d.
Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
"Riot Police Careers." Law Enforcement Jobs. 2016, n.d.
Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
Ruddell, Rick, Matthew O. Thomas, and Ryan Patten. "Examining The Roles Of The
Police And Private Security Officers In Urban Social Control. International Journal Of
Science & Management 13.1 (2011): 54-69. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Mar.
2016.