Female SWAT Officers

Document Type

Book Section

Publication Date

8-23-2019

Publication Title

The Encyclopedia of Women and Crime

Abstract

Women have made great strides in policing, but have struggled to gain traction within the exclusively male‐dominated area of special weapons and tactics (SWAT) teams. As an elite policing unit that emphasizes physical fitness and use of force tactics, SWAT teams have largely been the domain of men. Women have had difficulty gaining access to SWAT teams because of the physical testing requirements for SWAT and the perception that these units are off limits to women. Women who have been admitted onto SWAT teams face the added hardships of feeling isolated by male teammates, working on an unpredictable schedule that may interfere with family duties, and receiving ill‐fitting or second‐rate equipment.

Disciplines

Criminology and Criminal Justice | Legal Studies | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Language

English

UNLV article access

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