A few years back, two of us had the privilege of joining a highly trained SWAT team in New Orleans responding to a call for a barricaded subject with an assault rifle. To be clear, by “joining” we mean observing from the relative safety of the command vehicle. From that vantage point, we had the privilege of watching the incident response unfold from start to finish through a wide-angle lens, so to speak.

If you never have seen a SWAT Roll, it’s something to behold. SWAT members are some of the best trained men and women in a police department. They are carefully selected, outfitted with high tech gear, and given countless hours of scenario-based training. As a result, they typically go about their task with thoughtfulness, deliberation, and precision. It’s like watching a carefully choreographed dance, with everyone having a role to play and each member of the team contributing to the effectiveness of the group as a whole.