Introduction by Major Ed Allen

Overview 

This blended (on-line & residency) course is designed for law enforcement personnel who are responsible for deploying in the capacity as a SWAT team leader or as a supervisor who is responsible for the training and deployment of tactical teams.  The focus of this module is on pre-incident training, planning, organizing and the tactical decision-making process used in the resolution of high-risk operations.  Also included in the curriculum is an overview of SWAT training topics including selection and testing, training issues and liability, national SWAT Standards and critical incident reviews.  Additional topics include scouting and planning warrants, small team planning, tactics used in the resolution of critical incidents and a review of tactical incidents and videos.  Students will participate in group discussions, write operations orders and develop training plans, and critique and evaluate tactics and decisions based on a principal based SWAT decision-making process.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to understand and describe:

  • NTOA Tactical Response & Operational Standard for law enforcement.
  • Recruitment, selection, and training of SWAT personnel.
  • Team leader legal liability concepts.
  • SWAT structure and leadership.
  • Survival for the tactical team leader.
  • Strategy, training, and mission planning.
  • Team leaders and the OODA loop.
  • Less lethal tactical decision-making.
  • High-risk warrant planning.
  • Resolution of barricaded subjects.
  • Hostage rescue operations.
  • Principle based decision-making review.
  • Incident reviews from past operations.

[notepad]

  • Review the bios of your instructors.

  • Read your textbook as you go through the lectures.

  • Download slides for each section as reference material.

  • Review all lectures in all sections of the course and complete all associated discussion boards and assignments.

  • Write your essay and upload it to the Academy as instructed.

  • Take your comprehensive quiz.

Major Ed Allen 133Instructor:  Ed Allen is a lifelong resident of Seminole County, Florida and holds a Bachelors Degree in Applied Behavioral Science.  He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Session 242.  He has been with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office since 1987 and has held command positions within the agency’s Patrol, Special Operations and Domestic Security Divisions.  He is currently the Major over the Department of Law Enforcement.  He is a Certified Emergency Manager through the International Association of Emergency Managers.  Ed is a Florida certified law enforcement instructor and Adjunct Professor at Seminole State College.  Ed is a Lead Instructor and prior Board Member of the National Tactical Officers Association, and also serves as Contributing Editor for the Tactical Edge magazine.

Jason Behun 133Instructor: Jason Behun is a nine-year veteran of the City of Cape Coral (FL) Police Department and is currently assigned to the Training Unit. He is also a member of the Cape Coral PD SWAT team and is a Team Leader and Lead Instructor. Prior to joining the Cape Coral PD, he worked for the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for 13 years where he was assigned to the Tactical Operations Section as a SWAT Team Leader and Lead Instructor for his last seven years. Jason is currently a region VI representative for the Florida SWAT Association and has instructed tactical courses for the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA), Florida SWAT Association (FSA), Pennsylvania Tactical Officers Association (PATOA) and the Ohio Tactical Officers Association (OTOA). He serves as an Eastern Region Director for the NTOA.

Stephen Mescan 133Instructor:  Stephen Mescan is a 21-year veteran of the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and is currently assigned to the City of Pittsburgh Police SWAT Team’s Tactical Operations Section which is comprised of subject matter experts that assist the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Command Staff personnel with strategic initiatives, planning and the development of tactical resolve contingencies as it relates to all police operations.  His day-to-day operations consist of administrative duties surrounding SWAT, tactical team training, and leadership functions during tactical deployments.  Additionally, his responsibilities include the coordination with outside agencies, joint operations training and major incident planning for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.  Officer Mescan is currently the President of the Pennsylvania Tactical Officer Association and is an instructor for the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) who co-authored the NTOA Team Leader Development Program.  He has instructed for numerous state tactical associations and has consulted as an expert to area SWAT Teams concerning SWAT operations.  Most notably in 2009 he was part of a subject matter expert team that developed the tactical strategic plan for the G-20 Summit held in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

Dan MurphyInstructor:  Dan Murphy is with Fort Collins Police Services in Colorado.  He has been a police officer since 1984 and a supervisor since 1996.  He has been assigned to supervisory positions in Patrol Operations, a County Drug Task Force, and the Criminal Impact/Fugitive Unit. He was assigned to SWAT Operations as the SWAT Sergeant full-time for ten years. Lt. Murphy was promoted from SWAT in May of 2015; he has been a SWAT Team Leader since 1995 and has been a SWAT officer since 1991. Lt. Murphy’s new assignment is the Professional Standards Unit currently in charge of agency training, hiring and internal affairs.  Lt. Murphy is an experienced instructor in Basic and Advanced SWAT, Mobile Field Force Tactics, High Risk Patrol Tactics, Warrant Service and Less Lethal Munitions.  He has been a National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) instructor since 1999 and currently teaches Basic/Advanced SWAT, Less-Lethal Projectiles/F.S.D.D./Chemical Agent instructor classes, Leadership & Commander/Team Leader courses and Active Shooter Tactics for NTOA. Lt. Murphy has been his agency’s lead instructor for high risk tactics since 1996. He is a court certified expert in the use and deployment of diversionary devices during tactical operations since 2004 and is considered a subject matter expert in the areas of less lethal, SWAT team leadership and tactical operations.  Lt. Murphy has participated in and/or supervised numerous high risk tactical operations and he has been recognized by his agency with three medals for valor and a distinguished service medal during hostage rescue situations and violent felony arrests numerous times over his career. Lt. Murphy has been a lead instructor at national and state tactical conferences in the areas of SWAT tactics for numerous years.   In September of 2011, he won the prestigious “John Kolman – Award of Excellence”, from the NTOA for his efforts and leadership in developing new tactics and leadership programs for SWAT officers throughout the United States, Canada and abroad. He won the 2015 first ever Rocky Mountain Tactical Team Association “SWAT Officer of the Year – Tactical Achievement Award” He has a Bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice from Penn State.

  • Howe, P. (2011). Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War.  New York: Sky Horse Publishing.

Click on each of the following case law summaries to open and study.  Each case law summary is mandatory reading and is referenced in your course of instruction.  It is imperative that you familiarize yourself with these summaries, as they will be included in the on-line discussions and quizzes.

 Tactical Response & Operations Standard

Recruitment, Selection & Testing of SWAT Personnel

 SWAT Team Structure and Leadership

 Team Leader Legal Liability Concepts

 

 

Training, Strategy and Mission Planning

Team Leaders and the OODA Loop

 

Less Lethal Decision-Making for the Team Leader

Various discussion were included in this course.  Please click on the link below to to review your submissions.

Go here to access Tactical Leadership Discussion Boards

Based on the material that you have reviewed in this course, write a one-page paper in APA format, answering this question:

What is the difference in roles between the SWAT Commander and the SWAT Team Leader? 

Please follow these instructions for completing your paper and uploading it to the portal:

Follow the APA writing guidelines.

Name your essay before uploading it:  YourLastName_Team_Leader_Essay

Save your file on your computer in .pdf or .doc format and then upload below.

 

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