TV SERIES · 2017– · USA
S.W.A.T.
26 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (26)
- #001
Dominique Luca (Kenny Johnson) often arm-wrestles to win charity bets or competitions. In real life, Kenny Johnson was a world-class arm-wrestler until he retired from competition in 1995.
- #002
Angelica Scarlet Johnson (Kelly) is Kenny Johnson's (Luca) off-screen daughter.
- #003
On May 5, 2023, CBS announced that the series had been cancelled and would end with its sixth season. The finale had been filmed before the cancellation decision was made. However, three days later, on May 8, CBS reversed the cancellation in response to fan backlash and renewed the series for a seventh and final season. On April 11, 2024, the series was cancelled again and renewed for an eighth season. On March 6, 2025, it was decided to cancel the series once more. The series is now set to end when Season 8 concludes in May 2025.
- #004
S.W.A.T. units are usually called for hostage situations or to apprehend heavily armed suspects. In this series, the S.W.A.T. unit often performs the duties of regular police officers to allow for more storylines.
- #005
Every exterior shot of the S.W.A.T. headquarters building is done entirely with CGI, because the building does not exist in the real world.
- #006
This is the third iteration of S.W.A.T. after the original S.W.A.T. (1975) and S.W.A.T. (2003), and all three share three characters: Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, Jim Street and David "Deacon" Kaye. A female S.W.A.T. officer named "Chris" is also a nod to the 2003 film.
- #007
In police tactical circles, the methodology for clearing a house or room is divided as follows: the main entrance is designated as number 1. The other sides of the house are labeled clockwise as 2, 3, 4, and so on. The corners where the sides meet are indicated by their designated numbers joined by a slash in the middle; for example: 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, and so on.
- #008
Rochelle Aytes plays Shemar Moore's girlfriend/wife in both Criminal Minds (2005) and S.W.A.T. (2017).
- #009
G.N.D. is the abbreviation for the Los Angeles Police Department's Gangs and Narcotics Division.
- #010
Jim Street was played by Irishman Colin Farrell in the film version and by Australian Alex Russell in the TV version.
- #011
A Brief History of SWAT: * In the 1960s, Los Angeles experienced serious problems due to sniper attacks on police officers and civilians. Ordinary police officers handled these situations poorly, because they were line officers with simple law enforcement duties, limited firearms training and virtually no training in team combat tactics or "counter-force" capability. They proved ineffective against snipers, bank robberies by heavily armed individuals and other high-intensity situations. * In 1965, Officer John Nelson proposed the idea of creating a specially trained and equipped unit to intervene in and manage critical situations while minimizing police casualties. * The LAPD's most knowledgeable tactical officers would be recruited, but Nelson's idea needed support within the chain of command. He presented the special weapons and tactics concept to a young inspector named Daryl Gates, who had supervised patrol officers during the 1965 Watts Riots and was now known as a commander with the rank of inspector, and Gates jumped at the idea. * Inspector Daryl Gates, who would later become Chief of Police, approved the idea and formed a small group selected from volunteer police officers. Members of each team, who volunteered from patrol ranks and other police assignments, had special experience and prior military service. * LAPD officer John Nelson, a Vietnam War veteran, and Gates developed the tactical unit concept for crowd control based on the experience they had gained from the civil unrest of that period. * The SWAT unit initially consisted of 15 four-man teams and a total of 60 personnel. These officers were given special status and privileges, but in return they had to attend monthly training or report when special weapons personnel were needed. Known as "station defense teams," these units provided security for police facilities during civil unrest. SWAT was copied almost immediately by most US police departments and is now used by law enforcement agencies worldwide. * SWAT may have been designed as a crowd control unit. However, SWAT's first deployments eventually expanded its scope. It broadened its role to cover dignitary protection, barricaded suspects and hostage situations. * In 1971, SWAT officers were assigned to the Metropolitan or Metro Division, moving the unit from a collateral or side assignment to full-time status. The Division dealt with militant groups, rising crime rates and the ongoing difficulty of providing timely team intervention. The Metropolitan Division, with its established reputation as the department's tactical unit, was organized into "A", "B" and "C" Teams. The Special Weapons and Tactics Unit was called "D" Team, and the official SWAT abbreviation was also adopted at the same time.
- #012
The series appears to generally take place in the same universe as the FX series The Shield (2002). It is stated that Luca's father, Carl Luca, previously worked in the LAPD's Strike Team, which was central to the narrative of The Shield (2002). However, this is only an Easter egg, since no actual crossover has occurred as of Season 8.
- #013
The tactical vests worn by S.W.A.T. members are made by First Spear and are called "Siege-R Optimized."
- #014
This series features several actors who appeared in FX's Sons of Anarchy (2008). Along with series regulars Kenny Johnson and Patrick St. Esprit, there are guest/recurring stars Devan Chandler Long, Michael Beach and Ryan Hurst, who plays Johnson's brother in this series.
- #015
R Commander is the abbreviation for Reserve Commander. It recalls the time when the Metropolitan Division (considered the LAPD's tactical arm), to which SWAT belongs, was called the "Reserve Unit."
- #016
Established in 1969 by merging the once-separate Robbery Division and Homicide Division, today's Robbery-Homicide Division consists of approximately 110 sworn and civilian personnel. RHD is made up of five sections (Robbery, Homicide, Special Assault, Cold Case Homicide, Gang Homicide and Special Investigations Sections), each overseen by a lieutenant and tasked with investigating or providing surveillance support for a wide range of select crimes that are generally high-profile in nature. The purpose of each unit is more or less self-explanatory, except for Special Assault, which covers sex crimes. The Division's jurisdiction is citywide rather than at the district level.
- #017
Shemar Moore appeared alongside Michael Beach, Louis Ferreira, Michael Trucco and Patrick St. Esprit in separate episodes of Criminal Minds (2005).
- #018
Shawn Ryan and Kenny Johnson had previously worked together on FX's The Shield (2002). Shawn wrote and produced it, while Kenny played Curtis "Lem"/"Lemonhead" Lemansky.
- #019
The Los Angeles Police Department has a tactical surveillance unit founded in 1965 to catch robbers and thieves, called the Special Investigation Section. This section is part of the Robbery-Homicide Division. The S.I.S. (Special Investigation Section) was established in January 1965 by then-Chief William H. Parker and his chief detective Thad Brown without public announcement. It is made up of "cream of the crop" detectives who have reached the highest level of performance in this field. According to former unit members, Parker and Brown envisioned a nine-man team of "professional witnesses" (police officers who could covertly watch professional criminals break the law and produce irrefutable evidence against them). Thanks to trained observers testifying against them, criminals would have very little chance of negotiating a plea deal. As of 1988, the team's numbers had quickly doubled to 20 members, and an official chain of command was eventually established, so that the unit now reports to the captain in charge of the Detective Support Division at police headquarters. SIS is usually assigned to cases where there is not enough evidence to arrest suspects believed to have committed a crime. As a result, detectives sometimes have to watch criminals commit serious crimes before taking legal action. This tactical surveillance unit is a mobile force of investigative officers who assist other divisions by tracking active, known criminals. Division detectives assign their unsolved cases to the S.I.S. when they have a suspect but no evidence, as well as kidnappings and bank robberies. The S.I.S. targets suspects whom other detective divisions have identified as repeat offenders and uses surveillance techniques to make sure they are there to catch the suspect during the commission of a crime. This elite branch of the LAPD operates to get hardened criminals off the streets. Its special skills have been involved in some of the most notorious cases in Los Angeles history, such as the Alphabet Bomber and the Hillside Strangler, and more recently in the murder of Bill Cosby's son Ennis.
- #020
In the late 1950s and 1960s, as Los Angeles's population grew rapidly, so did crime. LAPD officials found it increasingly difficult to stop criminal activity that did not fully respect geographic boundaries. Crooks would commit a robbery in one part of the city, then commit another robbery 30 miles away. Chief William Parker established the SIS in 1965 to coordinate surveillance operations across the city and gather evidence. At the time, the cowboy image fit. Some team members took part in the police rodeo, and the unit developed a logo featuring a cloaked spy wielding a dagger. Some SIS officers still wear this badge on their belts and shirts.
- #021
Search warrants are issued only by a judge and only after a case has begun. Warrants are legal documents that allow law enforcement to arrest or detain a person. Search warrants, court orders, arrest warrants, fugitive warrants and alias warrants are issued by a judge or a court. If you have not failed to appear in court once a decision is made, that decision will only be issued if a grand jury returns an indictment against you. "Want" indicates that the police wish to contact a person in connection with a criminal incident for which you have not yet been arrested.
- #022
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department oversees the unincorporated area of L.A. County, forty-two contract cities and the largest jail system in the country. With more than fifteen thousand employees and an annual budget of 3.6 billion dollars, the sheriff runs one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the United States.
- #023
Both regular S.W.A.T. cast member Patrick St. Esprit and guest star Rochelle Aytes appeared as guest stars on Criminal Minds (2005), which starred Shemar Moore.
- #024
A handful of characters are named after the 1310AM/96.7FM The Ticket radio sports broadcasters in the Dallas/Fort Worth market.
- #025
Shemar Moore and David Lim appeared in Drive (2016).
- #026
Kenny Johnson and Patrick St. Esprit also worked together on Saving Grace (2007).
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