The first use of a SWAT team. 1969: The Black Panther Raid Daryl Gates, then an inspector with the Los Angeles Police Department, had been cooking up an idea for an elite team of police specialists trained in military tactics to respond to emergency situations like riots, active shooters, bank robberies, and hostage situations. The idea hadn’t been received warmly by Chief William Parker and other higher-ups at the LAPD, who were wary of allowing civilian police officers to engage in military ta