Jack Dunphy on Changing Standards at SWAT
Jack Dunphy’s article on SWAT is up at National Review Online. (H/t Jeff Hazeltine.)
The last true meritocracy in the Los Angeles Police Department, perhaps one of the last to be found anywhere in America outside the military, is about to pass into memory. The LAPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, which since its inception in 1971 has confronted and captured thousands of murderers, robbers, kidnappers, and every other type of crazed thug imaginable, will soon be crushed under the accumulating weight of a foe it is ill-equipped to oppose and can but hope to vanquish: misguided but nonetheless inexorably advancing notions of political correctness and social engineering. And what a shame this is.
I agree. Dunphy has this to say about Sharon Papa’s denial of any knowledge of standards changing in SWAT:
Responding to an e-mail sent by one of the SWAT wives, an LAPD assistant chief, the department’s highest-ranking female officer, wrote that she is “not aware of any actions being taken to lower the standards for getting into SWAT.” One might be inclined to give the woman the benefit of the doubt by assuming she is merely uninformed, but given that she was charged with overseeing the Board of Inquiry — whose report was completed more than a year ago — her denial lacks even a modest claim to credibility.
I have two things to add. One is that I do find it odd that no women ever passed the original tests. I feel confident that there are women within LAPD who could. Maybe not as many women as men — but some. I still find myself perplexed as to why not one woman has been able to. Which makes me wonder how many have applied, among other things. I’d like to see more reporting on this.
Also, now that I have read the report, I find myself in agreement with one general problem it identifies (even if I don’t necessarily agree with the particular recommendations the panelists make for fixing it): the way the department in general (and SWAT in particular) deals with mentally ill suspects. The report gives numerous examples that can be faulted for excessive second-guessing, but that nevertheless provide some evidence that there is a better way to deal with the mentally ill. Often a nonconfrontational approach is better — not always, but often.
I’ll be writing on this more this week, hopefully, drawing on lessons I learned reading Pete Earley’s excellent book “Crazy,” which discusses the successes the Memphis and Miami police departments have had with Crisis Intervention Teams that are specifically trained to deal with such situations. I believe LAPD has such a team — and I believe that expanding such teams and their role is a preferable solution to lowering SWAT standards to get women into SWAT — but I want to learn more about how LAPD actually uses the CITs before I go around pontificating about them.
There are several worthy issues addressed in the report: the insular culture of SWAT, decision-making responsibility & chain of command, and dealing with the mentally ill among them.
Nowhere, however, is any connection made between SWAT performance and minorities/women. The review panel just starts with instruction that it shall change that. The rumored changes in selection & training may only aggravate weaker areas in SWAT performance, possibly at greater hazard to officers, civilians and suspects alike.
LAPD SWAT has a remarkable record since 1971. Given this report, there are serious reasons to question whether that record will continue.
ManlyDad (d62cf6) — 3/24/2008 @ 6:38 amI’m going to go way way out on a limb and guess that sexism has something to do with this particular state of affair. Just a wild shot in the dark.
joe (c0e4f8) — 3/24/2008 @ 6:40 am“I do find it odd that no women ever passed the original tests.”
Me, I find it odd that in the strength, endurance and “bashing and crashing” sports no woman has ever come close to male performance.
I also find it odd that the theory that some woman can equal some men in physical ability has penetrated so far and been so misunderstood.
A strong woman is as strong as a weak to medium man.
Let me count the female football, hockey or even baseball (which has not much bashing and crashing) players in the major leagues. Or is LA SWAT a minor league? Or perhaps a high school operation?
I do not want weak to medium men in SWAT, as front-line troopers or as firemen.
BlacquesJacquesShellacques (324683) — 3/24/2008 @ 7:23 amKeep in mind that the vast majority of male applicants do not pass selection, and many who do are not selected for the school (for a variety of reasons – barely passing, lack of teamwork, etc). So you are basically postulating that a woman – faced with an extremely grueling selection process in which upper-body strength is key, would finish in the top 25% (at least). Were these tests focused purely on cardio-vascular fitness, there may be some validity to that idea. But, given that weapons weigh the same for everyone, as do tac vests, etc., the physiological differences should be expected to take a toll
Moreover, several officers I talked to for my article expressed disappointment in the failure of one specific woman due to injury.
Disappointment in a woman’s failure would seem to negate sexism as a valid theory, no?
Robert C. J. Parry (2fc153) — 3/24/2008 @ 7:30 amJack Dunphy is right on point again!
Can anyone name me a woman in a S.E.A.L. Team, Force Recon, DELTA or Air Force P. J’s? No, and this is not a slight on women, this is the reality of an applicable and necessary selection process! LAPD SWAT is the Police departments equivalent to those units. But SWAT can’t just lob a grenade, call in an air strike, or lay down overwhelming suppressive fire, which makes their job more difficult! Hence the very rigorous selection process! I know we are a civilian Police Force and have different rules for males and females roles in combat. I do know at least one female on the department that is up to the task, but she injured herself, and will give it a go another time. I have worked with her and would rather work with her than 95% of the males on the LAPD! She is a great Police Officer and person with great work ethic, she’s VERY fit, she has her mind right, great espirit de corps! I could go on and on about her positives! The SWAT guys have all stated that they were looking forward to working with her, because they all thought she was going to make it too. And she would have merited making the Team through to old selection process by going through the same door the men did! What a slap in the face to Women who really could make it to say, we are going to lower the bar for you ladies! That’s respectful and nonsexist?! Riiiiiiiiiiight! The woman I am speaking of is a true Warrior and would not want the position under compromised conditions!
Now on to Bratton, Papa and the rest of the Command staff! I posted this in another thread, but it’s applicable here!
It’s troubling to see evidence that integrity at the upper ranks of my Police Department is demonstrably none existent! Below I have posted the 6 Core Values of the Los Angeles Police Department! Just about every one of these values applies to this topic and Chief Bratton and Asst. Chief Papa should pay particular attention to their lack of adherence to # 4!
The reason Bratton is so incensed about this issue being leaked is because he is NEVER taken to task on any issue, no matter how ignorant he is on the subject! We all saw how arrogant he was when the reporter had the audacity to ask if a shooting was racially motivated. One of the major problems with the upper ranks of the LAPD, is it’s like the Michael Jackson effect (Gee Mike do you think it’s a good idea to be bed with a 6 year old boy?, What, your fired!). Meaning Bratton has all of the upper ranks to scared to disagree with him, so they all say YES SIR, to every hair brained thing he does! I think Profiles in Courage (The Commemorative Edition) should be required reading by all upper ranks of the LAPD! Also required reading should be “It doesn’t Take Hero” By Gen. H. Norman Schwartzkopf! These two recommendations would assist the “Leaders” of the LAPD in making the unpopular, yet correct decisions, while showing them what a true leader is like, in Gen. Schwartzkopf! They also should read the core values and reevaluate why they became “Police Officers” in the first place! At one time all of them sat across the table and waxed about helping people and, here’s a novel concept “doing the right thing no matter who’s watching or who you’re working for!
Bring back Civil Service Protection for the Chief of Police or the status quo of political appointments will continue to tear this city apart! Have the Chief voted in?! Something, anything is better than the corruption we have now! There are plenty of good reasons not having political figures appointing Law Enforcement Officers! Are Eliot Spitzer, Marion Barry, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick or our MIA Mayor Villaragosa the kinds of people you want appointing Police Chiefs?
Core Values of the LAPD
The Core Values of the Los Angeles Police Department are intended to guide and inspire us in all we say and do. Making sure that our values become part of our day-to-day work life is our mandate, and they help to ensure that our personal and professional behavior can be a model for all to follow.
▪ Service to Our Communities
▪ Reverence for the Law
▪ Commitment to Leadership
▪ Integrity in All We Say and Do
▪ Respect for People
▪ Quality Through Continuous Improvement
Service to Our Communities
We are dedicated to enhancing public safety and reducing the fear and the incidence of crime. People in our communities are our most important customers. Our motto “To Protect and to Serve” is not just a slogan – it is our way of life. We will work in partnership with the people in our communities and do our best, within the law, to solve community problems that effect public safety. We value the great diversity of people in both our residential and business communities and serve all with equal dedication.
Reverence for the Law
We have been given the honor and privilege of enforcing the law. We must always exercise integrity in the use of the power and authority that have been given to us by the people. Our personal and professional behavior should be a model for all to follow. We will obey and support the letter and spirit of the law.
Commitment to Leadership
We believe the Los Angeles Police Department should be a leader in law enforcement. We also believe that each individual needs to be a leader in his or her area of responsibility. Making sure that our values become part of our day-to-day work life is our mandate. We must each work to ensure that our co-workers, our professional colleagues, and our communities have the highest respect for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Integrity in All We Say and Do
Integrity is our standard. We are proud of our profession and will conduct ourselves in a manner that merits the respect of all people. We will demonstrate honest, ethical behavior in all our interactions. Our actions will match our words. We must have the courage to stand up for our beliefs and do what is right. Throughout the ranks, the Los Angeles Police Department has a long history of integrity and freedom from corruption. Upholding this proud tradition is a challenge we must all continue to meet.
Respect for People
Working with the Los Angeles Police Department should be challenging and rewarding. Our people are our most important resource. We can best serve the many and varied needs of our communities by empowering our employees to fulfill their responsibilities with knowledge, authority, and appropriate discretion. We encourage our people to submit ideas, we listen to their suggestions, and we help them develop to their maximum potential. We believe in treating all people with respect and dignity. We show concern and empathy for the victims of crime and treat violators of the law with fairness and dignity. By demonstrating respect for others, we will earn respect for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Quality Through Continuous Improvement
Ed O'Shea (56a0a8) — 3/24/2008 @ 8:01 amWe will strive to achieve the highest level of quality in all aspects of our work. We can never be satisfied with the “status quo.” We must aim for continuous improvement in serving the people in our communities. We value innovation and support creativity. We realize that constant change is a way of life in a dynamic city like Los Angeles, and we dedicate ourselves to proactively seeking new and better ways to serve
“Nowhere, however, is any connection made between SWAT performance and minorities/women. “
This too was my thought after reading it through. I kept thinking I must have overlooked the inidcators evidencing the need for women and minorities in certain situations faced by SWAT but did not see them anywhere in the report.
As a citizen and a minority female, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if my life were in peril and the SWAT team necessary, I would never once consider it a problem if my life savers were male and not African-American or female. I really think I’d have more pressing matters on my mind…like staying alive. And I absolutely believe that the vast majority of the citizenry would feel the same.
Dana (fba430) — 3/24/2008 @ 8:48 am“Can anyone name me a woman in a S.E.A.L. Team, Force Recon, DELTA or Air Force P. J’s? No, and this is not a slight on women, this is the reality of an applicable and necessary selection process!”
Uh, that and statutory prohibitions on the role of women in combat.
SPQR (26be8b) — 3/24/2008 @ 8:58 amSPQR…
Another Drew (f9dd2c) — 3/24/2008 @ 9:16 amIf the Navy was willing to overlook combat restrictions to put a woman (or women) into the seat of an F-14, why wouldn’t they do the same with the Seals?
I can imagine that most women wouldn’t want to join. Although I have friends on Metro and SWAT, I never considered applying because I didn’t care for the macho he-man environment. I joined MOTORS because momentum and gravity weeded out marginal riders. I was invited to stay at Narcotics too, but left for the same reason – the macho attitude of some narcissistic cops was too much for me.
This is not to say that I believe we should corrupt Metro, SWAT, or Narcotics with race- or gender based appointments. LA residents deserve a competent police department and, frankly, I’d want the macho he-men of SWAT and Metro to back me if when I need them.
To comprehend what affirmative action has done to the LAPD since 1980, one has only to imagine how successful the Lakers or Philharmonic would be if athletes and musicians were hired to reflect LA demographics.
LA should return to their pre-1980 hiring standards and return full civil service protection to real LA cops like Earl Paysinger or Chief MacDonald.
LA taxpayers deserve better than political invertibrates like Bratton, or bus police cops like Sharon Papa.
Clark Baker (43cfe8) — 3/24/2008 @ 9:31 amI watched what happened to LAPD since the time I arrived in LA in 1956 until I bailed out to Orange County in 1972. It has only gotten worse. I appreciate the willingness of so many to hang in there but the dripping of water has to wear out the strongest.
MIke K (b9ce3e) — 3/24/2008 @ 10:05 amA strong woman is as strong as a weak to medium man.
Someone might want to mention that to Jill Mills, somehow I think no one ever told her.
I am not a cop, but it seems to me that in addition to the core values, maybe the LAPD could learn something from the Marine Corps 14 Leadership Traits
chad (719bfa) — 3/24/2008 @ 3:19 pmSPQR…
If the Navy was willing to overlook combat restrictions to put a woman (or women) into the seat of an F-14, why wouldn’t they do the same with the Seals?
Comment by Another Drew
Not addressed to me, but as a former military member:
Because the bad guy can’t tell you’re a woman if you’re in a plane(or on a ship, in the case of the Navy).
Enemies WILL assume the woman is the weakest link, and that will cause a larger number to aim for her, and thus cause her to be killed or captured;
Foxfier (74f1c8) — 3/24/2008 @ 4:17 pmonce captured, women will almost assuredly be raped, and that has a much greater effect than the capture and torture of a man (sex sells?)
— also, though the men I worked with treated me as an equal nearly all the time, in times of high stress I was the one they checked on first; decent folks still have that residue of basic manners that will make them look out more for the woman, and could cause troubles.
A SWAT officer must often do the things that a Marine Combat person must do, namely drag a 250 lb man out of the line of fire, to safety. This was the case in the North Hollywood shootout with the two armored bank robbers.
SWAT because it is oriented to extreme action when all else has failed, are the guys who kick in the doors and literally carry/drag hostages or others out of harm’s way.
Women simply don’t, and never will, have the upper body strength. It just won’t happen.
Other things women can do: marksmanship (women can often be slightly better shooters due to lesser adrenaline levels), negotiations, reading veracity/emotional states of suspects (women detectives can often be uncanny at reading people — both Ahmed Ressam the Millenium bomber and Yusef’s pal in Manila were caught by female officers), and the like.
But they can’t drag a large man to safety. They just can’t do it. Having female officers on SWAT will get people killed.
But hey, it gets the PC multicultis happy.
Jim Rockford (e09923) — 3/24/2008 @ 4:28 pmFoxfier, your comment presented an interesting pov. In light of military constraints, do you then feel the SWAT team testing should remain as is, or do you see the need for women to have accomodations made (of some sort) to ensure their ability for entrance?
Dana (fba430) — 3/24/2008 @ 4:31 pmNote: the Israelis abandoned combat for female soldiers because when the female soldiers were killed their platoon mates would enact revenge on anyone deemed the enemy including civilians. This was also the case for the Soviets in WWII though they did not care.
A dead female SWAT officer can certainly equal disaster, even among the most highly trained officers. The amount of adrenaline dumped into a person during combat is physiologically overwhelming. Training, IQ, memory, vison and hearing, all go out the window. Study after study have documented this effect.
Jim Rockford (e09923) — 3/24/2008 @ 4:31 pmDana – I don’t have any solid knowledge of how SWAT chooses their people.
I must assume that they have the typical “can pack a 250 pound man out of danger” test, the “can hit X from Y distance” test, the “can keep going for X time at Y speed” test, but I don’t know about the “pack” test. (A lot of folks– male and female– are motivated by the “oh, yeah?” response to “you couldn’t ever” statements.)
What kind of tests do they have for personality? From the posts from Mr. Dunphy, I presume that they look at how well the person can deal with being a member of a team– a LARGE number of the women I know who can handle the physical side of such a test could NEVER pass a teamwork based test. (see above)
Assuming that a woman COULD pass both the physical and the mental angles, I must believe that she’d tend to be unlikely to want to be a front-line responder for SWAT– bad guys aren’t known for their solid belief in equal opportunity employment, and any woman smart, honorable and brave enough to get to that point would know she’d only be bringing danger to her team if she could be recognized as a woman.
This isn’t based off of any test, this is based off of folks that I KNOW in person– the folks who are willing to sacrifice self to the team are also willing to look at themselves and as “am I going to make the team more likely to be attacked?”
I know women who dearly wanted to be special forces, yet looked at what she knew and said that she’d only hurt she they wanted to help by demanding such a thing.
Sometimes, you can’t try to be “all you can be” at the expense of all you want to promote.
Maybe SWAT taking women for some special uses, such as talking abused folks who can’t accept men as a rescuer? But not for general use, exactly BECAUSE so many of the scum-b*stards see women as less than a human, an easy target.
In other words:
I know women and men both have things they’re amazing at.
Men tend to be amazing at violent things- ranging from direct combat to my dad’s job of ear-marking cattle.
Women tend to be amazing at making folks calm down, or under-estimate them.
Yes, there are folks who fit in the “other” category– but the bad guys don’t accept that. For crying out loud, we’re fighting folks who think that a woman who shows ANKLE is a whore who must be stoned! If they see a woman, they’ll swarm the “easy target” like the cowardly bugs that they are; we cannot EVER think that the “bad guys” will be civilized.
Foxfier (74f1c8) — 3/24/2008 @ 8:38 pmWhere this argument always breaks down, is in the lack of recognition of the parameter: All things being equal.
Another Drew (8018ee) — 3/24/2008 @ 8:59 pmBut, in fact, men and women are not equal. The average/mean male and female physiologies are different. Our brains are wired differently. We react differently to certain stimuli.
As has been noted, there are places in Police Work for females, places where they excell, places that the “action-oriented” male disdains. And, there are areas requiring agressive behavior in response to violence that women (on average) are less capable dealing with than men (on average).
In the examples that Foxfier has cited, the policy of equal-opportunity was changed because that E-O policy created the possiblity, and reality, of unit-cohesion going to Hell when the “girl” got hurt.
For a mission to succeed, nothing can be allowed to endanger unit-cohesion.
Now, if we could only convince the brass that the concept of unit-cohesion is of any concern. Their only concern is their own little spheres, and what job they can go to next.
In the case of Bratton, thankfully we have term-limits for Chief’s – too bad we have such a collection of paltroons on the Board.
Thank you for your thoughtful response, Foxfier. In certain situations there is obviously an inherent weakness or disadvantage that simply comes with being female. And that inherency can possibly endanger others’ lives more than if they were males in that same situation. An unfortunate reality.
From the outside looking in, it would seem that the women who are honest enough to see this and opt out for the sake of others, really are indeed the “smart, honorable and brave” ones.
Dana (fba430) — 3/24/2008 @ 9:23 pmDana– despite my desire to be a Boromir or Faramir, I had to accept that I AM a Samwise.
I am support.
Though I may not make great strides in and of myself, I make it POSSIBLE for folks to go above and beyond anything I might make possible.
I know that might seem a little silly, by the symbolism always made it a lot more meaningful to me– I don’t care that I’m less *visible* than some men, I care what effect I have.
Foxfier (74f1c8) — 3/24/2008 @ 9:56 pmFoxfier, its fitting – Samwise was quite “smart, honorable, and brave”.
Dana (fba430) — 3/24/2008 @ 10:19 pmBratton said a public version of the report will be presented to the Police Commission in two weeks. “You’re all familiar with `The Godfather’ movie and throughout most of
the movie the Corleones are getting banged around pretty good and then Michael makes a statement that all debts will be settled. And at the end of the movie, all debts are settled in a very bloody way,” Bratton said. “I’m more than willing to take the slings and arrows for a couple more weeks, but like Michael Corleone, I’ll get my time.”
Wow, he really is a moron. To compare himself to Michael Corleone of The Godfather? Ummmmmm he was a murderous criminal. Mr. Bratton ought to watch his mouth, straighten up and fly right. He is now writing more checks that he, or this city cannot afford to cash. Someone close to him might want to let him know that we are under a Federal Consent decree which frowns on creating a hostile work environment! I am feeling a little cramped here, time for Bratton to head on over to the Museum of Tolerance, for some tools for tolerance. What a stain on the LAPD he has become. I mean seriously, Michael Corleone? Thats the best this guy, a Chief of Police, could come up with to communicate his position? He’s pretty pathetic!
Ed O'Shea (56a0a8) — 3/25/2008 @ 2:30 pmHere’s a link for Ed O’Shea’s comment. I find it incredible that Chief Bratton said this.
DRJ (a431ca) — 3/25/2008 @ 2:49 pmA fish rots from the head down. When you hear crap like this from the Chief, how can you be blamed for taking it out on all the cops under him? Ok, the LAPD are a bunch of gangsters, headed by a godfather, and the street cops are nothing more than buttonmen. (I’m being sarcastic, Mr. O’Shea.) How did you guys ever get such an idiot in charge?
nk (34c5da) — 3/25/2008 @ 2:59 pmJimmy Hahn!
Another Drew (f9dd2c) — 3/25/2008 @ 3:08 pmThe lowering of Metropolitan Division and SWAT standards has gone unreported and unnoticed by the media and the Los Angeles Police Protective League, until now. This certainly has changed the make-up of Metropolitan Division. Here are some observations and changes that have not gone unnoticed by the self-initiated. There are overweight, sedentary, non-tactical supervisors that have never worked a day in Metropolitan Division as an officer and/or have rarely spent any time in the so-called, “fast” divisions of our fair City. Nor have they operated extensively in the challenging operational environments our Department offers for any significant period of time. “Operational” and “field” mean here, that the police Department member is assigned somewhere in a field assignment where you are expected to take enforcement action, the bad guys shoot at you and the citizens, they kill people, they fight with you, and they attempt to run away on a consistent basis. Many of the latest additions to Metropolitan Division (in the last three years) are officers, supervisors, and lieutenants with varied ethnic and extensive administrative backgrounds, different races, many females, and relatively inexperienced lieutenants, to include the next SWAT lieutenant and both Metropolitan Division captains.
I. Copper (f8869f) — 3/25/2008 @ 8:56 pmSounds like they’re rotating the pets through to enhance their Fitness Reports (just like in Lake Woebegone –
Another Drew (8018ee) — 3/25/2008 @ 9:10 pmAll the children are Outstanding!).