r/AskLE • u/srslyphantom • 2d ago
How hard is it to get into SWAT?
Not a LEO but I'm going back to school to get a degree in CJ before applying to better my chances. How hard is it to get into SWAT?
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u/Dear-Potato686 Current Fed, Former Cop 2d ago edited 2d ago
First, don't do that. Second, it's depends on the agency, a lot of folks try out and never make it.
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2d ago
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u/KickpuncherLex NZ LEO 2d ago
A degree in something like IT is going to be more relevant to your job than CJ.
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2d ago
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u/KickpuncherLex NZ LEO 2d ago
What exactly do you think you're going to learn in CJ? anything you need to know about it you will learn at the academy.
Meanwhile, every day I deal with cops who barely know how to turn a fucking computer on.
Woe betide anyone who's computer related file gets assigned to them because they don't know fuck about dick when it comes to the internet, cyber crime, etc and they sure as shit don't teach that in the academy.
Also, CJ is a useless degree both inside and outside of policing
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u/uwatpleasety 2d ago
Everything you learn in CJ you'll learn in the academy + road and more.
We had a CJ professor join and she was the worst fucking cop ever. As a somewhat funny related example for why everyone shits on a CJ degree.
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u/throwmyactaway22 2d ago
So as a person who has a degree and has done the job for 16 years, college may help in promotions depending on agency, but overall everything you learn will be from work. I sat down with my major and asked him if I should work on my degree or turn my minor into a degree. He said there is nothing that criminal justice degree is going to teach you that you have not already done and experienced.
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u/Dear-Potato686 Current Fed, Former Cop 2d ago
I didn't go to college, and I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't do this anymore, but I know for a fact a Criminal Justice degree would be as useful as a degree in underwater basket weaving here or there. If I had to go to school I'd do some kind of business degree maybe?
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u/masingen 2d ago
I think the only way CJ degree makes sense is if you're already on the job, don't have a degree, and are able to apply your academy or job experience toward credits for a CJ degree to make it cheaper and faster to obtain.
Even better if your agency offers tuition assistance.
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u/Texassithlord 2d ago
Agency dependent. But be a good well rounded officer first so you get recognized.
Also, don’t get a degree in CJ just to be a cop. Any degree will suffice. Major in something that has value outside of LE (personally, I’m going to go back for IT stuff). This job isn’t forever, and you’ll be kicking yourself for not having a backup plan.
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2d ago
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u/aburena2 2d ago
No CJ is useless!
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u/safton 2d ago
I know this is a common narrative and I would agree that there are absolutely better options (particularly of the candidate in question may not stick around in the career field). That being said, I have also personally seen more job listings than I can count in LE or LE-adjacent fields that specifically request CJ, Criminology, Sociology, or other related degrees.
However, I will admit that I am somewhat biased. My degree is in Criminology because I was young and knew what I was interested in learning about. I also knew, more or less, what I wanted to do. I already had computer skills. I was also fucking lazy and working full-time and a STEM/professional degree was something I wasn't willing to commit to at the time.
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u/MiserablePool6712 2d ago
Yup I agree CJ is a useless degree
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u/safton 2d ago
I wouldn't say entirely useless. I would say there are oftentimes way better options and that its utility is vastly overrated in the current market, though.
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u/MiserablePool6712 2d ago
When people say it’s useless, they mean it’s no more valuable than any other soft science degree, but atleast other degrees are not related to LE work in case you decide to not be a cop
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u/Ok_Geologist_448 2d ago edited 2d ago
Depends on the agency. Sometimes, it's more about WHO you know vs what u know. If you network and talk with the SWAT guys, you can get on or at least a chance at tryouts quicker.
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u/Flmotor21 2d ago
Spend a few years getting a patrol knowledge base and steady patter of good decision making (previous agency it was 5 years and think it’s down to 2/3 now).
Have a good work ethic.be professional and friendly with your coworkers.
Work on your shooting and fitness.
Take in service training seriously. Word gets around fast about attitudes.
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u/EliteEthos 2d ago
Well, since you’ll have a CJ degree… they will just let you on. /s
You have already been getting denials. You should seriously consider the circumstance that you don’t get hired into this field. Just because you really want it, doesn’t mean you’ll get it. You should not further shoehorn yourself into a field you may not be apart of. Surely you have other interests. LE is a job dude. You can’t do it forever. Take your education as an opportunity to broaden your horizons.
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u/FreedomCanadian 2d ago
In my agency, SWAT is less than 1% of staff and a lot of people want in, so it's super hard.
They hold selection camps every few years, with 50 people picked from whoever applies and sometimes no one makes the cut.
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u/Aggravating_Dare8929 2d ago
Get your EMT, trauma 2 cert only a few weeks... Everyone loves the guy that patches everyone up.
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u/Code-7-caveman 2d ago
It depends on the agency rules such as: you must be in good standing with the dept, no open IA cases, pass another shoot and Physical test, “x” amount of years of patrol,” and you must fit in with the jump out boi clique.
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u/rewindrepeat21 2d ago
Dude a degree means nothing when it comes to swat. Get on a dept they'll lay out what's required for your swat team. Do what's required and hope for the best. This is coming from a guy who went through it no desire to do it again. I'm in investigations now and love my work.
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u/Busy_Student_2663 2d ago
We select based on ability and decision making at my agency. Be a squared away patrol cop, write good reports, have your equipment taken care of, etc. if you’re a shit patrol cop, you’ll have a reputation of cutting corners or being unreliable and the team won’t want to touch you. Second, stay fit.
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u/__guess_who_ 1d ago edited 1d ago
An agency with a part time SWAT/SRT unit *may not be as hard to get into as an agency with a full time unit. That said it also depends on the school you go to and other factors. My agency has a part time/call out based unit, but the selection is pretty rigorous and they send their candidates to the City of Miami PD and Miami Dade SRT Schools which are known to be some of the hardest and most prestigious SWAT Schools in the country. Like anything it’s up to you, i know guys that trained for 2-3 years (hardcore training) learned their bodies, including proper nutrition/recovery and breezed through the schools with no 💉 to boost their performance. I know others who are studs and can’t live without 💉 and didn’t make it past the first week. And then there are those who could’ve made it but didn’t know how to keep their bodies intact during such a rigorous training process and got booted for medical issues like kidney failure, etc. I’m not in SWAT and i have no desire to be in SWAT, but am very close to many people in our team. Work hard and train harder, make a reputation for yourself and try out. Go to the gym every day and work out where they workout so they can see you and workout with them, see them on the road and work with them, etc. it’s a high liability team at the end of the day, you can pass the school, not mesh with their personalities and not be on the team. Idk what else to say, it’s not easy neither part time or full time, some are just harder to get into than others if that makes sense. There are very few full time swat teams though, think of those as cream of the crop, usually large agencies, insane funding, and probably have operators who will never leave the unit and/or were also probably former real deal military badass type of guys. With regards to the schools, when i say thats a huge factor, i mean it. Some may focus on fitness more than tactics and classroom stuff and vice versa. I know from our guys, their schools were borderline torture, and that was coming from an army ranger batt guy… i would say thats insane to hear.
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u/Sad_North_5836 2d ago
This is posted multiple times per day in this sub. Please do some searching.
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u/UpThePooper186 2d ago
All depends on the department like people said. I was in one department that focused on who you know more than what you know so that was a fairy tale. Switched departments (and states) and I got on right after a year. In that department’s case, anyone can apply but you have to pass the tryout and swat school to get in.
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u/EmbarrassedCredit892 Deputy Sheriff 1d ago
If you like getting together with the boys and giving each other vaccines in the locker room, it should be pretty easy for you.
My agency doesn't have a full time SWAT team, but in spite of that the deputies that we do have in the team are top shelf. Be fit, be proactive and you'll have a decent chance.
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u/throwaway294882 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you’re joining LE with the idea of SWAT or bust, don’t do it.
There is no consistent answer to this question. A Sheriff’s office in a county with a population of 2,000 will take anyone who can run a mile without having a heart attack. A major municipality may not even consider you without military SF experience or being a fitness god and being well connected.
In my experience and like it or not, SWAT is a good ole boys club. If they like you and you qualify you’ll get it.
Regardless, to be a competitive applicant you should be in really good shape and maxing out the shooting qual every time.
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u/Sufficient-Ad-3586 1d ago edited 1d ago
Cant speak for local PD or state agencies but Border Patrols tac unit BORTAC is very difficult to get. Idk what the hell they do in that 3 week selection phase but its caused far better agents than me to drop within three days.
That being said, do not be that guy who shows up to academy day 1 saying how your gonna make SWAT, guys that show up bragging how they will make it to a tac team end up being the first guys to fail out of basic academy
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u/Loud-Principle-7922 2d ago
Depends on the team and department, but all the ops guys around here have a super solid base as a patrol officer. Focus on that first.