IamA streamer who is on SWAT AMA!

So when they break down a door, who replaces it?

If it's a false call we do.

When you flashbang a baby, who replaces it?

flashbangs are pretty cheap

Oh that's fucked up

So I'm guessing flashbangs aren't quite as cheap as he implied?

I mean not really. But we don't ever bang inside of a house.

What makes it a false call?

Did you mean if it's a "prank," or does that include a credible source calling in thinking there is an emergency when there's not?

Both I would imagine

Correct

I guess I worded my question way less specifically than I wanted.

What I'm really wondering is, someone gets swatted(this keem drama garbage), but someone is arrested-- They had drugs or whatever. Now, the call itself was not legal, but the homeowner is arrested. Is the door replaced by the SWAT team?

We call that the fruit of the poisonous tree. It was a false call to begin with so it would probably be thrown out.

Edit: As I mentioned to the other attorney, I answered this question a bit too quickly before really sitting to think about it. If we are there in good faith and within our rights, we can charge for anything in plain view.

Is the mustache standard issue?

You have to earn it. Rookie.

When do we get the kitten.

gotta find it under a dumpster.

OP - thank you! I've had two questions in the back of my mind for a while about this.

1) If I suddenly find I am being SWATed, what should do to end things as quickly and peacefully as possible?

2) if someone is pounding on my door saying, "Police, OPEN UP!" can I reply, "I will fully comply after you show me a badge and ID*." Is that something a citizen is allowed to do, both legally and in the real world? Anyone can wield a gun saying, "I'm a police officer."

[*If that's not the right phrase to get an officer to identify themselves, what is?]

1)lay down on the floor face first, away from a door, and lay your arms straight out like a T. Think jesus. When they get to you explain that it was a false call. They may not listen at first until they confirm that everyone else in the building is safe. Just keep telling them that it was a false call.

2)Absolutely. Call 911 and confirm. Don't ever just open the door because you hear police. Verify first. There have been lots of home invasions caused by people saying they are police.

Honestly if an officer needs to get in your house quick enough for an emergency they won't have time to take off their badge and pull their wallet out. Just call 911 if you can't tell they are a police officer.

How do I protect my dog?

What does an officer do if you tell him that I put the dog in the closet or bathroom, please don't open it?

I don't think you'll get an answer to this one. Any dog that responds protectively will be shot, false call or not.

The police came to my door to arrest me on false charges, and my daughter, being smarter than me thought to put the dog out back, which created a whole other "Someone escaped out the backdoor!" scenario.

At least my dog lived. And after getting out of jail, losing my job, pissing in a cup for a year, and showing up to a dozen court dates, I was free to live my life without a conviction. God bless the USA.

I personally pepper spray them if they are aggressive, I don't know the circumstances of your arrest so I cannot comment on that bud.

We're still gonna open it, but we'll probably get you to open it. If we don't have time for that and it's aggressive, we'll pepper spray it.

Are you worried that Keemstar will SWAT you? Can you SWAT a SWAT?

I am unswattable. If someone tried to swat me I would literally get a call to go to my own house.

Could make for a pretty comedic stream situation

I don't find actual SWATing funny in any way by the way

I would gear up and stand outside my own door and wait for my team to get here and them be like WTF?

Do they know where you live? If so, you're missing an opportunity to troll your team if you ever did get swatted for some reason.

As they are about to break down your door, just shout "WAIT" and when they look at you confused, just pull out your keys and unlock the door.

hahaha YES

Since you stream, you should leave for a "bathroom break" then come back in fully geared up to trick your viewers. Like on April 1st or something.

I'm being swatted guys..........BY ME

Do you ever use any 'tactics' you learned from SWAT in CSGO? In other words how realistic is CSGO. I imagine it is completely different but maybe there is something in common.

YES! CHECK YOUR DAMN CORNERS WHEN YOU MAKE ENTRY! lol so many people just walk past blind corners and get lit up.

lit up in csgo or lit up irl?

Unfortunately both. Covering (snapping to the) corners is number one when entering a home. That and don't block the fatal funnel (doorway). Keep the officer flow moving.

Source: officer

Truth

If someone were to smash in the door to my house my first reaction would be to grab my gun to defend myself because I live in a Castle Doctrine state. Is an armed individual a shoot on sight for SWAT? Is there an attempt at de-escalation in case that person is an innocent? Would this defensive reaction get me killed if I were swatted?

That would be my first reaction too man. All Swat teams are trained to yell Police as soon as they make entry. The flash bangs and a dozen people yelling police are usually a tell tell that it is actually police.

Gonna be honest, swatting is a tricky situation. If someone is pointing a gun at me, I'm going to shoot them. If someone is holding a gun down by there side, I'll try and make them drop it.

This question is why all SWAT teams need to be trained on SWATTING to verify that it isn't a real event. The hard part is that situations like this are very time sensitive.

Perhaps popular streamers should contact their local SWAT teams and have them keep a log of their address and phone number to verify?

Perhaps popular streamers should contact their local SWAT teams and have them keep a log of their address and phone number to verify?

Its really shitty that it has come to this. Emergency services are for emergencies, not for pranks.

I agree bud. If that's what it takes to keep people safe then so be it. Special Weapons And Tactics.

I know at least one YouTuber (/u/vanguard_anon) who's got a friendly enough relationship with the police that they call him beforehand just to confirm that he's not killing his family or anything.

"hey tim, are you killing your family"

"no dude, must be a prank haha"

violently stabs wife

o no

I mod for a streamer that gets 5-6k viewers and when he moved into his new place he did just that, called the local police station and explained what he does and that there might be false alarms and stuff, he said they were understanding.

We are very understanding people.

What is the typical punishment for people who call in the fake incidents to swat?

Edit: and how often do they get busted doing it?

Never ran into it, but every jurisdiction has different charges. I'm sure it would be some jail time with restitution being paid.

How do you handle family dogs when breaching someone's home?

If they aren't aggressive we ignore them, if they are we pepper spray them.

I really hope this is the case 100% of the time. Nothing would make me violent faster than you all killing my dog.

Same here. I'd snap someones neck for Mike Wazowski

http://i.imgur.com/jxg8axE.jpg

What happened to his eye?

A really bad pepper spray incident

He was aggressive.

He was passive-agressive, so only half of the treatment.

Lol

If you met Keemstar face to face, what would you say to him?

What the hell is a Keemstar? Then ignore him. All he wants is attention and to be recognized.

What has been the funniest or most lighthearted situation you've been in while in your line of work?

Someone stole a dildo from a sex shop and in court the officer had to read the report which explained the stealing of said dildo with a lot of his peers listening/ trying not to die from containing their laughter.

I mustache you a question, But should i shave it for later?

Get out.

As a police officer, did you report keemstar for his involvement in the swatting incident?

How often are the perpetrators caught when they swat someone? What punishment do they face?

Have you ever been on a fake call? What happened?

As a police officer, did you report keemstar for his involvement in the swatting incident? I haven't. I will look into it further though. Someone in the jurisdiction that he swatted the person in and the jurisdiction from where he swatted from needs to get together and be able to prove it was him. How often are the perpetrators caught when they swat someone? No clue, never ran into it personally. What punishment do they face? Every state/ city/ county has different charges. I would think some type of federal charges would be in order though along with a hefty restitution fee. Have you ever been on a fake call? What happened? Yes. We find the person that made the call and charge them with making the false call.

As a police officer, did you report keemstar for his involvement in the swatting incident?

I haven't. I will look into it further though. Someone in the jurisdiction that he swatted the person in and the jurisdiction from where he swatted from needs to get together and be able to prove it was him.

How often are the perpetrators caught when they swat someone?

No clue, never ran into it personally.

What punishment do they face?

Every state/ city/ county has different charges. I would think some type of federal charges would be in order though along with a hefty restitution fee.

Have you ever been on a fake call? What happened?

Yes. We find the person that made the call and charge them with making the false call.

thanks buddy

Something I've always wondered is I know that you're not the dispatcher, but if you have, is there really any indication that you're going into a home from a fake call?

Not necessarily. Dispatchers just relay the message and give as much info out as they can. We honestly rely on people not being shitty like Keemstar and treat everything like it's real because it could quite possibly turn out to be a real situation.

Do you have any of your own thoughts or ideas about how to prevent these fake calls, outside of just relying on people to be decent human beings? (Because let's face it - If everyone was just a decent human being, you'd be out of a job.)

I commented earlier to form a relationship with your local department / SWAT team. Go up to your local department and explain everything to them.

How do you feel about no-knock warrants? Some departments say they have found that waiting for suspects to leave the house and then pull them over is much safer and virtually always an option. Do you think this is true?

I agree with that when it comes to narcotics most of the time. But we still have to consider that their house still needs to be secured, so we have to make entry anyways. For barricaded suspects/ hostage situations/ violent offenders no knock warrants are absolutely an option.

What MOS did you have in the military? And how did that experience transfer to your job in SWAT?

I was an aviation tech starting out, when to security, trained to be a SEAL for a few years, then got hurt at BUD/S and left the Navy. I got to do some Close Quarter Battle stuff with the Seals and learned a lot from that which transferred over to Police and SWAT

Woo I'm an AT as well!

AE here, you guys should play D&D together.

hahaha

I must know, how good are you at rainbow six seige?

Never played it!

Does your team have medics assigned, or just standard medics standing by? Fellow LEO asking here. I'm the medical guy in my dept and have the giant MCI pack that I Carry for any active shooter entries.

We have paramedics who train with us and respond to callouts.

Have you ever gotten on the Captain's shit list and ended up getting stuck in the cage with an overweight mormon where you had to impress a badass Sergeant to give you a second chance?

LOL I don't think I'm on anyone's shit list. Hopefully.

1. Your favorite Donut/Donut Shop?

2. Have you ever responded to any false calls? If so what (Streamers, ordinary people being targeted, etc.)

3. What do you guys do when you don't have any calls?

1) I don't like sweets unless it's Thin Mints or mint chocolate chip ice cream haha. We actually have a Krispy Kreme in town though that has killer coffee. 2) I haven't been to a swatting yet but I've had plenty of bullshit calls where we charge someone with misusing 911. 3) we are regular police officers, detectives, special unit folks, who do SWAT as a side duty.

Is there anyway we can raise awareness of SWATting with our local police departments/SWAT teams? It's awful that scumbags will waste the time of professionals who could be responding to actual threats.

Absolutely! Go down to your local department and ask to speak with a Sergeant or someone in charge. This is a real issue that needs to be addressed by all SWAT teams.

There have been reports of criminals emulating a no-knock warrant and yelling "POLICE" in order to reduce the amount of resistance, and since they can obtain police-style gear appearances can be deceptive. Given this and the potential an innocent homeowner reacting to defend what they see as a home invasion (I believe a man who killed a deputy in this situation was acquited in Texas -it was the wrong house) what is your opinion on making things safer for everyone involved? Because of these situations I am not a fan of no-knock warrants unless there is a dire need. Do you think that no-knocks have gotten out of hand?

CALL 911 IF YOU HAVE DOUBTS! I think no-knocks are required in certain situations and shouldn't be ended all together.

As I said earlier, it all comes down to training on the SWAT teams part.

I have IBS and poop a lot. If I'm on the can is it possible I'll be shot for not getting in the Jesus position?

No dude lol.

What's the current training for dealing with loose but non-aggressive dogs on the scene? Simply stash them in the bathroom and shut the door? Move past them and hope they don't bite?

I'm an animal lover and so are most people on my team. We understand that animals can become aggressive when their owners homes are breached. If something is aggressive, depending on the situation, we use pepper spray. Hurts like hell but doesn't kill them.

Is that a real mustache?

As real as you are babee

Hello, what is your favourite anime? Thanks!

Cowboy Bebop, I'm really digging Attack on Titan right now though.

If you had to choose a section (Scouts, Garrison, MPs), where would you go?

Oh hell. They're all fucked.

Rank?

Noob

Silver Elite Master, but plays like a Nova 2 or 3

Source: Played a few matches with him a couple nights ago.

Yep

Hi there! SWAT is a career field I'm interested in. I recently left the military. Has any ofn your training help you or hindered you from being a SWAT member? He easy was your transition into?

My previous experiences have helped. You can't just join SWAT. You have to be a police officer for a few years before trying out.

Have the police considered any sort of test for authenticity before dispatching for a call (and potentially upending someone's life at the least)? For example, verification of the caller, with non-spoofed caller ID, such that false calls can be met with serious repercussions (criminally and, preferably if possible, civilly)?

I mean, it wouldn't help much for underage callers, but I guess I'm wondering if there are any measures taken or considered before breaking down a door? Cause, as a relatively normal person, I'd guess having one's house stormed by military-type people, at tied up at gunpoint, would not be great for my trust of the police in general...

Swatting is a fairly new thing. When someone calls in serious stuff like swatters are doing now, it's usually extremely time sensitive, especially considering the attacks on American soil which have been taking place recently.

We don't take calls like that lightly and we respond like it's real. There needs to be more training on the issue honestly.

Think if it was real and we took an extra 30 minutes to verify it was and people ended up dead. The headlines would read something like "Police responded, 3 people dead" . The survivor/s would be on the news saying "they didn't respond quick enough!!"

It comes down to training, coming up with a quick verification system (maybe a log of popular personalities in the area?), and people not being assholes like Keemstar.

What is the longest standoff you were apart of? Its always amazing when you see the swat guys patiently waiting anywhere from hours to days while focused and always ready to make entry in a moments notice.

I haven't been on any HUGE standoffs yet, we had one for about an hour a few weeks ago that ended peacefully. It's all about discipline.

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I think of that more than anything. I have kids so that's always the first thing on my mind, not accidentally harming some kid who is caught up in their parent's mess.

What do you think can be done to protect streamers and youtubers from swatting? I'm not sure if it's happened yet but sooner or later someone is going to either be hurt or killed from a false call swat.

I agree that it is something that could happen sooner or later. Hell, I'd shoot at someone busting my door down If they didn't yell "police" first. I think that it comes down to SWAT team training on situations like this.

First off, thank you for your service! So what kind items do you carry when in the full gear and what do you guys carry in the vehicle your arrive with?

Edit: a word

Full gear is plate carriers, arm protection, crotch protection, helmet, goggles, gas mask, sidearm, rifle, tourniquets, med kits, magazines for sidearm and other stuff. In the vehicle is normally a ram and LOTS of other gear for special situations.

So what's SOP in the event of a false swatting call from the view of a ground team? Do you just apologize and say "someone will come by for that door" or is there more to it?

We explain the situation and replace their door and they get millions of views for being swatted live.

Keemstar swatted someone? Do you have proof because that would literally make him go to jail

He gave out personal information of someone and pretty much told his fanbase to do it, though as far as we know he wasn't the one who did it. Not sure of the legality of that, but a really shitty and unethical thing to do

It would be along the lines of inciting mischief, but every jurisdiction had different charges. The officers from the jurisdiction that he swatted along with the jurisdiction Keem lives in would need to get together on this one.

What are the real life odds of something like that taking place?

the officers communicating to form a case?

Can someone explain what keemstar is? I'm lost

Some asshole.

Do decoy grenades exist irl?

Yes but we call them flashbangs

I have a buddy on SWAT for his jurisdiction, nicest guy ever, but admits he's an adrenaline junky. This leads me to a couple questions, do people when called out carry the same demeanor as they do generally? (I'm assuming they're more alert but do they get more aggressive/impulsive?) And are there any psychological tests done before getting on the SWAT team other than just applying that vet out someone's behavioral profile to make sure in intense situations they're thinking logically?

do people when on called out carry the same demeanor as they do generally? No, everyone has different backgrounds and experiences.

And are there any psychological tests done before getting on the SWAT team other than just applying that vet out someone's behavioral profile to make sure in intense situations they're thinking logically? you have to prove yourself a competent officer for a few years before being invited to and trying out for swat.

Have you ever been swatted yourself?

What happens to swatters if they are proven guilty with false accusations?

Thanks!

Nope. I am un-swattable. Depends on the laws of their city or state.

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Fortunately my team hasn't had to deal with this situation yet, but I've made them all aware that it is a possibility. The problem with hostage situations or mass shootings or whatever bullshit that the swatter is making up can be very time sensitive. We don't want anyone else to die or get hurt if it is a real situation so we have to act quickly. This means that we can't verify everything right on the spot. As I told someone else, we generally rely on people not being a douche bag like Keemstar.

If you REALLY think it is likely, contact your local police department's SWAT team (county and/ or city) and ask them to keep your address and phone number on file and explain to them what swatting is so they can reference your information if a false call is made.

Swatting is a fairly new thing and lot's of departments haven't trained on it yet.

In the Keemstar video, they showed SWAT charging into that house with the young girl and her grandmother, why was there no planning, no strategy, they just got out of the van, ran up to the house with their guns drawn, smashed their glass doors and rushed in with flashbangs.

Maybe Hollywood is lying to me but don't you guys have some tech to actually stake the place out for actual threats, plan for minimizing collateral damage, etc BEFORE you leeroy jenkins into houses?

If there is the possibility of innocents being hurt inside I will rush in to help them. Swatting is serious shit that people think is a game. It comes down to proper training and people not being assholes by making false calls. The situations people are calling in when Swatting are usually very serious that require no time wasted in securing the building and making sure people are safe.

Did you go to college? If so, what did you Major in?

Some college while I was in the Navy. Intelligence with a focus on intelligence operations.

Can you please throw Keemstar in a cell and swallow the key?

That piece of s**t doesn't deserve to be walking around in public.

Out of my jurisdiction but my fingers are crossed

Which side is your favorite? T or CT side?

The winning side in CSGO. CT's all the way IRL.

What is the average response time to get to the location where a SWAT team is needed? Has your team ever gotten there to catch the culprit fleeing?

We're pretty quick. We have caught people fleeing before.

Hey Donut, thanks for the AMA! As a SWAT team member, how do you generally deal with overpenetration? You guys are slinging carbines in what are essentially plywood homes. I always wondered what you choose in terms of ammo. Hope this doesn't fall under opsec. Stay safe.

EDIT: Oh, and is that saying 'tighter pants = tighter groups' hold any truth? We all know you're one sexy mofo.

I generally believe that men should still wear short shorts. But not too tight.

We use regular AR-15 variations with 5.56. Over penetration is usually solved by evacuating the surrounding apartments/ homes before we make entry. Citizen safety is our FIRST PRIORITY. We have mp5's (9mm) and I wish we still used them though.

I think most of the swatting issues are being asked about already, so a different kind of question:

Have you tried White Claw hard seltzer? Currently drinking the black cherry flavor, and it is delicious.

Thank you for your service.

Oh no I haven't. Where abouts are you located to find that?

What do you think should happen to Keemstar? (legally speaking)

Some type of charges should be brought up against him. The problem is proving he did it with the million 14 year olds he has to do his bidding.

[deleted]

Protecting my community, my teammates, and myself feels great. Thank you for your input.