SWAT Team Officer Talks About His Job in VR

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I met an active officer in an American police SWAT team in VRChat.
#storytime #story #vr

[@sunnex474]

“I got a degree in criminology and I found out that that was fucking useless” Bro has no idea how relatable he is

[@ErikPT]

I mean it's good for a government job lol a useless degree unless you work in DOJ

[@liquidanimations3397]

Fuck, that's my major right now 💀

[@goldtdig2]

Colleges should stop offering degrees in the arts, they cost a bunch of money with no return on investment. Not to mention lost time...

[@sunnex474]

@@goldtdig2 nah they’re good conversation material, just make them less expensive

[@DaMainCookie]

@@liquidanimations3397 RIP

[@FML515]

I've come across this guy several times in VR, he's hilarious with a very dark sense of humor. Good man.

[@FML515]

@@SWATtheory Hey man! Been a while since the last time I went on VR, but maybe I'll hop in one of this days for old times sake. Hope you are doing alright dude, wish you the best for you and your people. I'll catch you later.

[@highdefinition450]

Wow, small world lol

[@nloc1929]

His Kool-Aid Man impression was A+

[@Jump-n-smash]

What's this VR you cool people are talking about? Meta? Second life? Other thing?

[@blakjaket4472]

@@Jump-n-smash I think its a vr game called VR Chat but not sure

[@AirsoftGeek100]

The man says he did just decent on the written exam. However after listening to his story, he carries an immense amount of heart and soul. Which is exactly what we need for the frontlines of our first response units. Godspeed whoever you are, SWATtheory. May you bear longevity to you and those closest to you.

[@AirsoftGeek100]

@@SWATtheory Bless you, man. You’ve done a great service to the community, and your influence resonates. Hope all is well for you.

[@rseven0]

He shot kids for money, you're delusional

[@FluidRat]

"We're all 125 grains away from being room temperature" Man that's....that hits

[@Azeal]

fr

[@Yukimaru0]

Literally.

[@Comrade.2107]

@Mental zombies It means they're all one shot away from death

[@Comrade.2107]

@Mental zombies only the original commentor knows the answer to that

[@datsimplenope]

@Mental zombies it shows how one can die easily if something hits you at high speed

[@septimusheikler8104]

I love the fact this man conked a guy on the head with a drone and his reaction to being beaten with a pringles tube on wheels and seeing a shield with flashlights was to immediately surrender

[@Azeal]

It was an act of utter dominance 😤

[@thatonenerdwhoreadsbyhimse5429]

Bruh I would've surrendered as well.

[@impulsiveDecider]

Have you ever been hit by a Pringles tube? That shit hurts

[@utopianstructures8434]

Completely fucking dominated

[@insertfunnynamehere1256]

I’d have surrendered to

[@Geralt.5261]

I'm a German, and sadly tonight two young officers, one was 24 an the other one 29, were shot dead while doing a basic police inspection on a car. In Germany we have strict regulations for all kind of guns and such a thing pretty much never happens so the whole country is upset. It really got me thinking how you always have to stay concentrated in jobs like these even in countries where the possibilty of incidents like this to happen is pretty low. He said that basic tactical training for EVERY officer could save lifes and i think he's absolutely right about that.

[@chrischandler889]

Germany still haven't learned? Guns should be a human right. Them being heavily restricted has lead to an insane amount of tyranny, authoritarianism, genocide, etc from your side of the woods.

[@chrischandler889]

@@introvertboi1527 damn. Went from "papers now" and concentration camps to that? Well they still enforce anti gun laws. How do they do that?

[@MrKjottboller]

This really goes to show that no matter where in the world you are, law enforcement should always be extremely well trained for the unexpected situations no matter how rare they may be. Expect the unexpected and live another day.

[@Sticky_mulk]

As sad as it is, I feel you,I was taking an Uber to my friends place, and we saw a traffic stop on a dirt road (It was like 11PM at the time, no cars were around) and we're going slow and next thing you hear is 3 gun shots, later on the news we hear a cop was badly injured on a routine traffic stop, the suspect was killed (The suspect had fired first) and the cop was shot in his shoulder, so the cop just let out 2 shots directly into the suspects stomach and I think it was his lung, the officer is still alive thank god, but I never forgot the screams the officer let out

[@mistermarcus4281]

@@MrKjottboller The problem at this case was that one of the two officers was literally on her second day as police woman and the other guy was barely 29 years old too. Not experienced at all. They were even wearing vests, but got killed by headshots and the whole situation just screams inexperience: They were looking for people who hunt illegally. That's forbidden in Germany. They then stopped a car and saw dead animals on it. Despite this obvious red flag, they did not draw their guns. While approaching the driver the woman got shot in the head and died. Then these bastards shot at the other officer and hit him too, but he was able to shoot back 14 times, but didn't hit anything. And he then sadly died some minutes later. As a keyboard warrior I can only say: this was careless. Right at the moment of seeing the dead animals, they had to knew that these guys were armed and so at least the back-up officer should have drawn his weapon. In my mind both should have approached the car with their weapons drawn. I can't even judge those officers. The education they get is horrible. Budget is low, respect from society is miserable and if you think that USA has a problem with people mocking the police, come to Germany for one day and you'll see stuff like people hanging a banner from a highway bridge after this murder saying "they deserved it". Oh and the cherry on top? Afterwards police officers and German SWAT were searching for the guys and in a TV interview you could see an officer grabbing his MP5 by the wrong end and literally pointing it upwards to his body. I couldn't believe it.

[@AlfredEiji]

31:54 Man, he really has a way with words. “A gentle reminder by the grim reaper that he’s always there.”

[@Senator-Wary]

Grim reaper: Hey man it's Sunday let's get some drinks with the boys!

[@bastobasto4866]

damn, how impressive ! he used one of the most common metaphor in the history of the occidental world, in the same context, with the same use as usual ! grim reaper = death ! who else could have thought of that ?!?! A brush with Death ! A brush with the Grim Reaper !

[@kocholawis1851]

@@bastobasto4866 I can't because I am fat :(

[@fuzzo-zr6zt]

A way with with special ed kids whos parents are either criminals or absent

[@GEROKII]

​@@bastobasto4866He wasn't talking about the metaphor, but the way he used it and implemented it in a sentence. You on the spectrum?

[@JTFActual]

Not SWAT but a TPO (Tactical Patrol Officer), he is spot on about the dated tactics and political BS that absolutely PLAGUES not just SWAT/SRT teams but entire departments and agencies. The biggest kick in the balls I get on like a weekly basis is the "That's how we've always done it" and basically "know your place". This guy makes a ton of good points, so glad I watched this.

[@JTFActual]

@@SWATtheory same here, one step at a time.

[@JTFActual]

@@SWATtheory also hit me up if you ever want to do a collab or something

[@The_SmorgMan]

It’s why I left. I miss the job but I was at the wrong dept. It was an attitude of no matter what, your on your own. Example, we got a warrant for an individual with multiple convictions of battery against a law enforcement. The dept had a 2 person policy if we interacted with this individual. The others didn’t feel like driving from the next town over so they told me to take care of it by myself.

[@vidnir5259]

Young doctor here, we battle the exact same shit in hospitals every day.... I guess everywhere with a steep hierarchy its the same stuff... nothing harder than trying to try to convince someone that there is a better way of doing something than the way they did it for 30 years

[@MidnightAmetyst]

i don't want to sound inmorral or say bullshit but my thoats is once they lose whole team (kia) they start change politics

[@greaterpainter7996]

I was a Marine Infantry guy for 8 years and this sounds like the same problems I ran into in the Marine Corps. The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top. A lot of times weak spineless individuals get promoted even fairly high up the chain of command just by virtue of being there for enough time. So if you're a hard charger who wants to train your guys in new or inventive ways that actually make sense you get told to pound sand.

[@TrianglePants]

Are these both just facades, then? Why would top people NOT want things run right?!

[@JDugald221]

What are the solutions? Not being antagonistic here, just concerned for the future if these patterns don't shift and genuinely want to look at solutions.

[@MissLilianae]

​@TrianglePants It's not so much they don't want things to run right. It's that they've convinced themselves it already is. "Don't reinvent the wheel" is a common phrase that gets thrown around in my raiding group and my office at work. AKA if something already works, just do that. So these people who have been in law enforcement or military, or even the civilian sector, and have been doing it for decades have seen "what works and what doesn't" so when the newbie comes in telling them how to do their job their egos get in their own way and then you get situations like what SWATtheory described in the video or what the OP posted.

[@johnrodgers2171]

The Bureaucracy exists for reasons

[@smokingcrab2290]

Bro this is how it is literally everywhere, even as a civilian. And nothing makes me more angry than having to listen to those people

[@firefightszz]

I like this guy, law enforcement stories are always interesting to me. Most officers don’t deserve the hate there getting right now

[@MerryMerryGold]

Your right, the term a few bad apples spoil the bunch is very real. The problems that stem from the police is a systemic issues

[@1x1boop28]

@@MerryMerryGold Took the words right out of my mouth.

[@giovannicervantes2053]

@@MerryMerryGold there's a really fucking good quote that goes "bad cops are horrible they make good cop's jobs harder"

[@TheeApple]

maybe if cops stop upholding shitty laws, i'd probably like them a little more.

[@giovannicervantes2053]

@@TheeApple don't shoot the messenger holds stronger in law enforcement

[@Guesswork01]

As strong as you got to be to be SWAT, this guy’s willingness to talk about events like this to the public is beyond strong. When he said “I’m sorry I’m just fucked up right now” tears filled my eyes for the bravery and dedication and my own gratitude to him and his fellow cops.

[@DillonHockett]

Seeing a body for the first time ends up being a little different for everyone. Mine was the person I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with. She committed suicide and I found her when I got home from work. I'm a CPR trained social worker with a background in crisis intervention, and man, when he said, "you jump straight to bargaining," I completely broke down. Had to pause the video for a while and get my shit together. What an incredible interview. I know it's hard to listen to, but people need to hear more stories like this one. If you put two sane people in a room together who have completely different outlooks on life and political views, whatever, and let them speak to a man like this for an hour, I'll be damned if either of those two people can muster the energy to hate each other anymore. Death is the great leveler. Really puts things into perspective.

[@TonksTheFool]

@Bad Morning🇷🇺 Death is still death and incredibly hard no matter who believes in what. Atheism doesn't change that or destroy the concept of grief.

[@FDALl-ms5kg]

@Second Circumcision 🇷🇺 if anything I would think an atheist would be more afffected by the death of a close one, or anyone really.

[@bumblebee5337]

I know completely how losing a loved one feels. But the one thing I hate is pitty. That’s why I want to say things get better. Stay strong.

[@zachjollimore4339]

@The Christian Oubliette You should just love thy neighbour

[@GoneGYT]

@@FDALl-ms5kg perspective from an atheist who's been through this: one day in high school word went around that a kid a lot of us knew took his life but no one said a last name or would tell me his last name when asked so I wasn't 100% sure who they were talking about. At that point it's just like damn man, that really sucks that that happened. After I got home that day one of my closest friends called and said hey did you hear so and so took his life last night, and the world froze for a moment as it hit me that someone I knew very well and was close to was gone and I broke down on the phone with my friend as I realized that there is nothing I could do. If I had been told while still at school I'm not sure I would've made it through that day. It's only just dawning on me that the few people I asked the last name from knew I was really close to him and probably didn't want to be the one to deliver that news at the location we were cause school isn't exactly the place you want to do that at.

[@paulpittman2554]

*the most badass, heartwarming and inspiring stories ever, then, even after he has blessed us with all of that, he proceeds to give:* "Well its a little different when 950 grains of ✅stop✅ get sent your way"

[@trippie_fabio3181]

What round would be 950 grains of stop? Lmao its funny as shit the way he says it though

[@Xx0ME0xX]

@@trippie_fabio3181 yeah even the .500 S&W like he mentioned only has a 700 grain bullet as the biggest round i know of for it. Idk about the desert eagle though, but i do know that caliber, .50 AE is lighter because its not as long

[@Sirgo_07]

@@Xx0ME0xX there is an "elephant gun" that shoots 1000 grain bullets but I don't think a random criminal is gonna be carrying that huge of a doinker.

[@Xx0ME0xX]

@spoil me papi yeah, the .700 nitro express has 1000 grain bullets

[@johnwiz4460]

@@Xx0ME0xX I’m sure he was slightly exaggerating or just didn’t know what grains meant.

[@eos5273]

this man has the most soothing voice ever

[@thecamperofbriggs7872]

Might rival Sam Elliott

[@Kaisensan1]

Furret

[@inerpower1019]

Honestly if they came breaking down my door and he was screaming get on the floor I wouldn’t even hesitate cause of how scary his voice would sound.

[@Thenormal880]

yup

[@rUSTYfrfr]

@@inerpower1019 yeah because the m4 in your face wouldn't make you flinch

[@Cootadude]

I've met a SWAT Team Leader (I think he was a Captain, but I don't remember his Rank very well) & hearing his stories I could tell that being in the SWAT is not easy at all. I'm very grateful for people like you & that Team Leader in keeping me safe from some really dangerous criminals.

[@cadetberry]

@@SWATtheory I appreciate you service and your story I'm planning on becoming swat myself and your insight was very helpful

[@sparton1o185]

At the beginning of this I was like "oh yeah cool I swat officer, I'm gonna here some badass stories of how he took down drug dealers and people who are guilty" but I'm actually quite glad it wasn't like that and that it was a more realistic story telling of what can unfortunately happen. Thank you for making this and if by some miracle you see this mister swat officer I hope that your friends rest peacefully. I'm sure they're very proud of you for what you've done. ❤❤❤

[@Azeal]

tbh when he told me he was down to do a video I expected those same crazy stories, and I am also glad we got this.

[@Stalkergames916]

@@SWATtheory thank you for what you do it’s just as much as being in the Middle East it’s hard on you I have family who had to do what you do

[@maeknight2740]

I know...right? He's a monster.

[@lukereyes6266]

@@maeknight2740 in a good or bad way

[@maeknight2740]

@@lukereyes6266 I'm afraid of you. You tell me.

[@OKBoomer2k]

I donated to First Responders Children's Foundation in honor of my late father, a former police officer who died in peace at the wonderful age of 90! I hope others can contribute too, if nothing else, than for SWATtheory who shares true stories from his heart.

[@Azeal]

Legend!!

[@giftig694]

Just wanted to say since a family member just got the horrible cancer treatment. Felt like I had to thank your father for the service and to protect and serve the beautiful country of US. I assume he was a man of peace and control, dealing with good and so called bad citizens. Atleast he had a fruitful life and got to live to the amazing age of 90. Maybe a late comment but as I said, I just had to. Greetings from Sweden /T

[@ChuckisNorrish]

@@giftig694 best of wishes to your family member and their swift recovery

[@ThatOneGuy65324]

"Between getting hit in the head with a pringles can bot and a door busting open, he didnt know WHAT to do." has GOT to be the best quote ive ever heard in VRC stories

[@lazydk2654]

As someone who is learning about SWAT, CQB and stuff like that, and using 'Ready or not' to learn with, this would be a really good introduction mission. No hostiles and a guy ready to surrender when faced with Swat.

[@Babidi111]

- This guy is so wholesomely heroic in his intentions. Basically built himself like an RPG character going for just a good aligned hero role.

[@KC-bg1th]

My best friend’s dad was a SWAT officer, and went with him to take a kid to work day (we’re very close friends, and my parents work from home). Every single one of these officers will have a personality similar to this, and it’s almost like a defence mechanism because of the horrors they see. The burden that these guys carry can only be supported by strong ideals and being outgoing, but behind it all is things that will haunt them until they die. Things that don’t make the news, like one time my friend’s dad was really fucked up, and only later after our parents were talking, my parents found out from his mom that a 13 year old stabbed his 9 year old brother to death because the 9 year old wasn’t going to cover for the 13 year old not cleaning up a mess he made while their dad was home. SWAT was called because it didn’t sound like the kid could do it, but that was ultimately the case. This guy is going to see similar things, and will be in situations where he needs to kill somebody in order to save somebody else or himself. The fact that he’s bearing the brunt of this reality instead of normal people like us is primarily what makes him a hero. I’m almost 30 now; I respect these guys more than anybody else, since they are real life heroes. Every single one of them.

[@scottygagnon4287]

first responders are always LG

[@nvgboiyes6386]

I agree, People with dangerous jobs like this with heroic mentalities is great. It gives motivation to the people in the line of duty and it makes the world a slightly better place.

[@b0p1s65]

when he started talking about the FBI building being bombed, and the tone of his voice when he was describing being on scene. Thats possibly the hardest I've ever heard somebody try not to burst into fucking tears. I wanna give this dude a hug.

[@SyferDerg]

This mans voice is super soothing and relaxing, and the fact he's been through so much and been able to talk about it is incredible. SWATtheory, if you're reading this, thank you for your service and thank you for saving lives. It takes a real strong and selfless individual to do the job you do, and it's hard to say that about a lot of people. Much love and respect to you.

[@h20plays39]

7:22 "Basically like a grenade launcher *arm movement* that uhhh, shoots like these wooden, we call them batons *arm movement*, they hit the ground, skip - flare up, and hit *shins* :D" God this guys voice is amazing

[@patrikcarga]

Agreed

[@stevewhite4080]

We need more people like him in the forces. He actually questions stuff while being effective and smart.

[@Synergy7Studios]

He doesn't question stuff like no-knock raids though, which is a problem.

[@Fizyy]

@@Synergy7Studios I’m not going to get into this but sometimes no-knock warrants are wayyyyy safer than knocking warrants

[@Synergy7Studios]

@@Fizyy anyone gets no-knocked has every right to dump magazine after magazine at whoever is breaking into thier home unannounced. If you're fine with that then ok I guess, lol.

[@unknownsword9042]

@@Synergy7Studios Uh, what if knocking gives that person enough warning to arm themselves? I thought no-knocks were typically for people considered extremely dangerous.

[@Fizyy]

@@unknownsword9042 my point exactly. In some senses it’s dangerous but it’s uncommon for a criminal waiting to for cops to serve a warrant while always armed. A sense of surprise prevents them from barricading themselves, taking hostages, and arming themselves with way better gear.

[@TheNicksta72]

This guys vocabulary is unbelievable! Uses very wise words can tell he’s intelligent

[@NotIshikat]

"We live in a age where we are all demons" Those are some horrifying yet true words that I wont be able to easily forget.

[@nicholas8903]

This guy talking about the good they do, even along side all the bad they see, makes me reconsider becoming a police officer.

[@Nukr666]

Typing from my in-car computer. If you're considering it, do it. You'll always look back wondering what-if. Best of luck to you.

[@scowler7200]

Easier to run for sheriff of some tiny county.

[@UpToSpeedOnJaguar]

I've considered it, but never thought I could honestly follow through. Maybe my military service and views on politics is souring the thought of it. When I get out and get a degree, I'll rethink it.

[@benpurcell4935]

@@UpToSpeedOnJaguar That’s a good idea to do because some departments due require a college degree to join.

[@notcartel1521]

this guy, he's a professional, a life saver, and most importantly a human being. No matter what profession you are, you aren't rock solid, and really brought that out. Hearing him on the verge of tears while talking about his friend who was sadly killed in such a brutal way, it hits, very hard. Best of luck to him in his future, best wishes to his friends family, and best wishes to his team and department.

[@mikem5475]

ACAB guilty by association and abetting the horrors of the govt

[@sliceofspice6028]

I enjoyed listening to this. The only part I want to hopefully bring some clarity to is that run in with EMS who wanted to check a pulse on a man who was very clearly gone. I’ve worked EMS for just over 3 years now and I’ve had those nasty deaths before and I had the exact same reaction come from a SWAT officer when I had to check a pulse on a guy that was 100% gone. The reason we have to do that is due to protocol. Our personal departments protocol states we have to pulse check in two places, place a 4-Lead and determine Asystole in 4 leads, and then document signs of non recoverable death. If we don’t do that it can result in a loss of our license for the rest of our lives or we can get sued by the family since its technically a law to check. I haven’t seen a service that has a death protocol that states you don’t have to check a pulse unless it’s entirely impossible to, in cases of decomp or others. I understand it’s annoying and frustrating, trust me we feel exactly the same in those situations, but it’s just what we have to do for the sake of the job.

[@Dashi42100]

I'm a Paramedic and I second this comment. To add a little more, it also depends a lot on state/country too. In my state, we have something called 'signs incompatible with life' which are visual cues (e.g. advanced stage decomposition or cranial destruction/decapitation) where we don't have to confirm death via pulse. Despite that, I usually do anyways because I've had some seriously damaged bodies that turned out to still be clinging to life. If I pulled up to shotgun guy, I'd not really be pushing too much for entry. I'd tell the police "Hey when we get a moment just let me reach in there and assess so I can document pulseless/signs incompatible." Most police I work with are really cool with that and even encourage it so that way they can also document in their reports that EMS declared death.

[@MorkandGork]

How would I go about becoming a emt if you aren’t to bothered I’d like to know

[@sliceofspice6028]

@@MorkandGork Normally colleges offer a course, the best way to find all your options would be to google something like EMT classes in my area. You’ll take that course, they’ll teach you everything you need to know, then you’ll take a written exam and a practical exam. The written is a test of your knowledge while the practical is a test of putting that knowledge into hands on skills. The way I found my information, and the way I would recommend, is to go to your city or towns Fire / EMS station (if it’s open to public), and ask some of the EMTs or Medics there. They directed me straight to a college that offered the course and gave me the instructors contact information. I’m glad to hear you’re interested in joining the field!

[@MorkandGork]

@@sliceofspice6028 thank for this information and taking the time to respond

[@angelgjr1999]

@Marino Mania13 It depends, people have survived despite losing a chunk of brain matter. There used to be a video on KZbin of a woman being irresponsible with a gun, and shoots a guy in the head next to her. He survived.

[@aviatorgamer3057]

“HeyassholeyouonlygotafewminutesleftfuckinRUN!” That killed me, absolutely hilarious.

[@_jin4323]

I gotta say Swattheory really does this topic justice. Just talking about the fucked up death and humor really hit close to home. I'm not police or swat but I am a paramedic and use to work with a company that was contracted though the coroner to do body removals and a lot of what swattheory recounted is so close to several of my own personal experiences it's uncanny. However, it's almost somewhat comforting to know that you aren't alone in dealing with the grim parts of life. To chime in about checking a pulse on shotgun man . It's weird and depends on the medical director but most of the time you don't have to check and it's ruled as "obvious death" and you can phone in and clear it. A lot of newer guys can't really comprehend death and feel like they still need to check for a pulse to help themselves cope. I've heard of older saltier medics getting new guys to do it for hazing. But for the most part it's up to the crew's discretion. I have a very similar story on a call for a removal where it was quite obvious death due to vehicle ejection and rollover where the individual had a bumper go halfway though their head and the crew who initially responded put 2 ekg leads on, I can only imagine the reason they stopped was because the lead medic came over and slapped them on the back of the head after the first 2 and said "they're dead dumbass," get back in the rig. Most of the time if it's obvious death(decapitation, decomposition, lividity ect...) it just gets called, but some crews aren't logical or experienced enough to want to call it.

[@gabeg.5310]

Great description

[@angelgjr1999]

It depends, the human body can survive crazy injuries sometimes. There has been times where the person survives despite losing a chunk of brain matter.

[@jaimiefuller2032]

@@angelgjr1999 Extremely rare situations, 9/10 situations it's clear cut. I know what you mean though, but yeah those are definitely freak occurrences and I'm sure that there would be nuance in those situations like the casualty twitching moaning chest still rising and falling etc.

[@Shatteredlightunderfadingstars]

Man, I got no way of knowing if youll see this. But on the 1 percent chance you do, please please know how grateful we all are for you and your comrades. We love you all so very dearly and the sacrifices you and fellow officers make every moment of every day. We love you all thank you for keeping us safe.

[@nemesixsixsix]

Much respect to this man. Despite what he went through, I can tell he is powerful and dedicated to his profession. People don't really know what officers and law enforcement go through. Everyone thinks they're monsters, racists, abusers, and power-hungry. In reality, most of them fight to keep us safe from the REAL monsters. Much love to this guy. I hope he finds peace in his life.

[@Azeal]

usually true :)

[@TheAwesomeArtofWar]

"Keyboard warriors who say 'Just rush the staircase'". I felt that. Our instructor once gave us a staircase drill and took a laser pointer with him and said "Try and get up before I shoot you." Bottom line is: Your legs are cut in half by a bullet if you try to rush a stair case. It's not that easy. Fking keyboard warriors man, thank you for your sevice SWATtheory.

[@TheAwesomeArtofWar]

@@manictiger It's always so easy, isn't it? Watching movies and shows and play games where the hero cannot die and you know he comes out on top? It's so easy, expecting your everday man in the real world to just do that too. It's so easy to sit in your comfortable chair or on your comfortable couch and scream at the screen what idiots cops and soldiers are. How stupid we are for not living up to their unrealistic expectations. How stupid we are for having the AUDACITY to stop them for not following the law. It's always so simple if you don't have to do it yourself.

[@TheAwesomeArtofWar]

@@manictiger I feel you brother. Stay safe.

[@SquibLT]

i have the utmost respect for police officers and swat members, if you hear gunfire and you run TOWARDS it you deserve the utmost respect. i wish i could like this video 300 times

[@jacobcrouch6418]

God...this man sounds exactly like the kind of guy I'd want to be my FTO whenever I graduate and get to whatever department I end up with. God bless and my heart goes out to you and those you've lossed and their families.

[@_hkelley]

My father used to be a Swat Sniper, he would always tell us kids his stories, he has seen many dead bodies, I hope no one has to go threw this or has to be a victim, he is perfectly fine and is now a detective.

[@Kazen169]

I just want to hug this man. tears tears everywhere. respect, thank you for your serves.

[@purplestar322]

Okay I know everyone is talking about his voice, but i mean come on, its really good, also 26:13, they might check for a pulse in case of a zombie apocalypse

[@Azeal]

TRUE

[@richardvoss77]

dont ever apologize for being human my dude. Its ok to let emotions flow. "Do not go gentle into that good night" Dylan Thomas

[@Azeal]

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

[@Eldude101]

God I am just floored by this guy. He's an inspiration but I would never want to be in his shoes, nothing but awe for what he has to deal with. Really puts some of my own problems into check...

[@THEpoppaSAUCE]

Man I feel this. My cousin is a police officer, I think he finally made swat out in LA I think, but a little under a year ago, I almost lost him. He was responding to a call about complaints of a homeless person hanging around a neighborhood, so he went to talk to the guy, and asked for his ID. When he ran it on his computer, it came up with multiple warrants for violent crimes and such, and when my cousin wen up to confront him, the guy was reaching into his bag for something. My cousin told him to stop, and the guy took off, and my cousin chased after him on foot. He pulled something out of the bag that was wrapped up in a bandana, and when the bandana fell off, it was a gun, so my cousin opened fire, killing the guy, and upon later inspection of the gun, apparently the guy tried to shoot my cousin, but the gun jammed. If it hadn’t jammed, my cousin would’ve been killed.

[@ineedapharmists]

We almost lost him *goes into detail how about your cousin put himself in a situation*

[@sir_fuckwit]

@@ineedapharmists Are you being purposefully being daft?

[@justalpha9138]

@@ineedapharmists This is so unimaginably dumb of you to write. :/

[@iancorder6133]

The emotion in his voice when he talks about his buddy is chilling. I don’t think I have a right to fully understand what he felt as it was his experience, but I emphasize with his experiences. The way he told his story just felt real. Humbling even too. Not just from the message and lessons to be learned from his stories but the experiences he‘s had sort of enforce upon you how human we are. Hope the guy‘s doing all right. Respect to him for all his work.

[@firefox-gi5dl]

this man is amazing for what he does and I wish him, his buddies and his family luck for the future.

[@depsydawn9206]

I admire all types of servicemen and women from all country, especially to those actively keeping us, average citizens, safe from harm. It's just a shame that some didn't get the praise and support they deserved.

[@mattsmilsim6853]

Dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery

[@CGR89]

Working as a police firearms instructor supervisor we fight so much against ourselves with the “nah we’re not gonna do that, we’ve always done it this way”. Advancing training and equipment is so difficult because you’ll always have that guy who doesn’t want to learn or is stuck in his ways.

[@GamerGateVeteran]

Speaking as my agencies only FTO (and who is TPO certified to boot), I can 100% confirm this. Its a human struggle, the old "If it aint broke, dont fix it" mentality. Something is working just fine, it took a lot of time and investment (training, resources, etc) to get to this good point that works, why are we trying to re-invent the wheel? While on paper it may seem "silly" to invest so much effort into a "minor" or "theoretical" improvement to most folks, trying to get them to actually understand that its that small margin of improvement that really and truly can make the difference between going home one particular day or going in a box is a nightmare. And then even when they can understand the logic behind it, getting from that point to the point of actually making the investment itself is oftentimes much more of a struggle than the first part ever was. All we can do is do our part to push and keep on pushing. Sometimes its easier that we thought it would be, oftentimes it can seem sisyphean. But for our sake the sake of those that depend on us and the people who will end up depending on those who depend on us...we gotta do it.

[@intothekey]

Good stuff, I hope he stays safe and is able to save lives actively and passively.

[@clover1068]

“License and registration? *gun cocks* POW! New record!” NGL THAT HAD ME DYING

[@postalcrazy616]

That was a hard one to watch, can't even imagine how difficult it must be for this guy to talk about all this, yet he did his best and informed people just how quick things can change from good to bad in under a second's notice. Well done video, and a great interview, just sorry this guy had to go through this kind of stuff. SWATtheory, you're goddamn strong for talking about the hell you've gone through n witnessed, almost all branches of law enforcement get treated like dirt, it's horrible people are like that, media don't help either with their sensationalizing, but thank you for your service dude. Stay strong and remember you're never alone, there's always gonna be people there to talk through things with.

[@crytex6441]

He seems like the coolest guy, I felt so bad when he had to stop himself from crying. I hope he's doing ok at the moment.

[@crytex6441]

@@SWATtheory You're doing god's work my man. I wish all the best to you in making the world a better and safer place.

[@bradkempton7905]

I just found this channel and I'm so glad that I did. The anonymity of doing it this way allows the people to not be afraid of not only telling their stories, but showing emotion as well. I can hear the trauma in this officers voice and it helps remind us that they're people too and the majority legitimately got into law enforcement to help people. Unfortunately for this officer, He said a few too many things and I was able to figure out what police department he's with and the departments "S.W.A.T. team" isn't very big so I really hope none of his commanders/superiors have heard this interview because they would know right away who it is even if his voice has been changed. If you ever read this comment sir, thank you for putting your life on the line day in and day out to help others.

[@JLense]

And here we have an example of a very good cop unfortunately stuck in a very bad system. Bad cops make good cops as Jobs harder and he explained some of the bureaucracy bullshit that happens. I wish we had more officers like you I really do.

[@onceonly1111]

40:09 "It's amazing the stuff we can endure" is probably why they tell them to check a pulse even after a person has shot themselves in the head. Such a painful experience, thanks for finding the will to share it.

[@Tr4sh_can34]

Damn I didn't realize that this was like 40 min. This guy definitly have lived some. What a harsh job

[@numbers9696]

And my guess is he’s like early 30s so he’s real young

[@Jonayofsweden]

Damn that guy has one hell of a voice

[@Azeal]

I know right!

[@Siptom369]

That's why VR-Chat is such an important game for some people because you can talk about everything there without having to reveal yourself

[@danieltobin4498]

Damn...that was heavy. But I hope this guy realizes that he's doing good work and that we need more officers like him in this world.

[@dentaradiantama5168]

Wow you know alot of person that have their own interesting story

[@Azeal]

I actively search for them actually

[@adfecerunt6390]

@@Azeal If someone wanted to reach out to you how would they do so? I have a story I feel like would have a good message if you end up having the free time to respond thanks.

[@adfecerunt6390]

@@Malachite_strip thanks for telling me I'll go check it out now

[@FakeAmerican]

I'd love to hear the uncensored version of his stories. Helps get a good grasp of the real world and how it works outside of Twitter and unicorns and identity crises. I'd be honored to go through training with this guy. He's got his feet on Earth and he's seen some shit I hope I never have to go through.

[@DetectiveCreeps]

Nothing but respect for SWAT. My grandpa was in SWAT in Las Vegas Metro in the 80's. Got some crazy stories. Thanks for what you do brother!

[@kvtn1p]

I really like this guy. I'm 16 years old, and my father was in Special Operations back in the day in the Afghanistan War. Because of him, I am aware of aspects about CQC, special tactics, and helicopter procedures. He was in 160th Spec Ops Aviation Regiment, most known as "Nightstalkers". Black camo, teams, NODs ready and silenced M4A1s loaded. If you're reading this SWATtheory, thank you for doing stuff like this. It's honorable and something that not many have the courage to do. (EDIT: I will not discuss mission details or what he did during his time in 160th. Further details will not be spared for privacy and under law. Basic details like here are allowed to be shared.)

[@blarghinatelazer9394]

Your dad is one of the damn few, the Nightstalkers are the best of the best. I thank him for his service.

[@kvtn1p]

@@blarghinatelazer9394 Definitely is. He's the only Nightstalker veteran I know of. He's proud of this too. He doesn't hesitate to teach anybody because getting selected for 160th is at least millions to one. If I ever join the military, I'll be sure to work my ass off just to continue the legacy. He's still here today, and he has his own race car too! Thank you for the kind words.

[@bro918]

of all the things that never happened

[@kvtn1p]

@@bro918 ?? Did I mispell something? Worded something wrong?

[@Poodleinacan]

I would have the courage for it... But maybe not the aptitude for it. Slight ADD and whatnot. I doubt this would affect favorably on paper or against someone who doesn't have that. .... But having not had any gf for the longest of my life and me wanting kids definitely also play a role in how much I'd be ready to do.

[@Registered_Simp]

Watching through all of this makes me remember a quote from Father Dennis Edward O'Brien from the USMC. "It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag." Respect to all those in military or law enforcement domestic or deployed abroad. You're the ones who give us what we all enjoy here in the land of the free.

[@FlymanMS]

Lol what a fool, keep licking the boot. "Law enforcement deployed abroad", what are you even talking about

[@Registered_Simp]

@@FlymanMS Ahem. Law Enforcement OR MILITARY...

[@JonForshort]

Maaaan this guy's voice and radio charisma. 👌

[@Azeal]

ikr!

[@superslugg0]

i just want that man to have the happiest life bro. he seems so genuinely driven and i have the utmost respect for him. he deserves every good thing that comes to him :(

[@natesturm448]

Okay, so now that I've gone through the whole video, the end struck me hard. I know that pain of watching a close friend die. Buddy of mine took a round to the side of the neck right in front of me. Watching, and hearing someone try to mumble "help" as blood pours from them just to ultimately see them dead in less than a minute is hard. I hope this SWAT member will be okay. Not many jobs outside active combat arms military job titles don't see that type of thing. I hope he knows that he can even reach out to veterans for help. I'm always free to talk to if he needs it. We all are. Combat is combat, a fire fight is a fire fight . . . despite the agency.

[@JulianVR4]

Wow this was so level-headed. Being in aviation, I find myself often applying the mitigation/triage that he describes in the opening. Hell of a guy, hell of a story.

[@jonathan65mustang]

It's amazing to hear from other swat teams suffering from the exact same crap we deal with... 1* brother stay safe

[@wooshewoosher3598]

I really think you shouldn't have cut anything out. It was a great opportunity to see how dark it can really get and really open some people's eyes.

[@rceps4999]

KZbin

[@DragonbroTwelve-mo2yi]

my heart goes out to him and everyone who choose to protects people as a professional!

[@jamielonsdale3018]

Judging by the gestures this officer has made through the first 13 minutes of this video, I am going to guess that he runs with karate hands, not fists.

[@PiousSlayer]

@@SWATtheory Yo, I agree with the others, you should do some sort of podcast or something. If it gets successful enough it could also be a diversification of funding. (I derped and completely forgot the word I was going to use after diversification. I still can't recall what it was going to be. So funding works, I guess.)

[@jamielonsdale3018]

@@PiousSlayer Revenue? Income?

[@PiousSlayer]

@@jamielonsdale3018 Yes, that. Don't you love it when that happens? When you're about to say or type something and you immediately forget the word(s)? I meant diversification of income, that way you aren't limited to just one source and if anything happens you can always ramp up one or the other to hopefully cover your base expenditures.

[@jamielonsdale3018]

@@SWATtheory I think you might have gone a little overboard with identifying details. I get the feeling that the officer who caught the round to the carotid was called Robert. Not only that, it took me less than one minute to find the incident you spoke about towards the end of the video, on the third page of the Google search results. Most of the others were counter-terror PDFs or articles about Oklahoma City. If I'm right, suspect is a 44 year old male called Shane.

[@designerdigest]

When he talks about his SWAT application, it makes me realize how much I appreciate people who fucked up and admit straightly that they fucked up.

[@neoluna1172]

as many issues I have with law enforcement, and they are valid ones I dont hate blindly, I can tell this guy is one of the good ones, knowing justice is more important that killing the bad guys, and that he seems willing to learn how to be better, and teach it to others. It isnt just the poeple the over militarized police system hurts that need help, cops need help to, mainly with garenteed mental health care and efforts to change the toxic overly violent culture within the force, being part of that is unhealthy, not just being on the reiveiving end.

[@Azeal]

I agree and really appreciate the way you worded this!

[@chaosXP3RT]

How do you change a violent culture when 90% of your job is dealing with violence?

[@jakecastillo6731]

One of the core principles of policing is that it is coercive in nature. The ethical issue is upholding high levels of ethics and seeking good morale employees to carry out discretion fairly despite the coercive nature. Also while i too have my grievances about the justice system, I believe one of his points was that it wasn’t “militarized” enough. Granted the tactics they teach in the core infantry are barebones, he means more about tactical training, medical training, equipment training, and teaching CQC in order to enhance their safety in the job not only for themselves but to reduce collateral damage and be more of a scalpel than a hammer. But youre right about the mental healthcare, however its difficult for a PD to come out and say their officers have ptsd as it doesn’t create trust that is needed from the public. A PD cannot function properly without trust from the public as it is one of the 9 core principles. For sure though one struggle they face is frustration with the justice system especially in tragic events like this and it is important to teach officers to work through that frustration from the violence in order to maintain a high level of ethics in order for differential association to work.

[@neoluna1172]

@@jakecastillo6731 im down for them learning how to protect themselves, but non swat guys dont need automatic rifles or APC's with machineguns on them. Police also need to be trained how to de-escalate, not just shoot first everytime. There are also situations where a man with a gun isnt needed, a social worker is. And as I said before, there is a toxic, bigoted punisher worshiping (literaly, look into it) kill all badguys culture within police that needs to be changed.

[@joshwizardguy7662]

@@neoluna1172 I agreed with you until you said "bigoted". Cops act like pieces of shit to anyone regardless of who they are.

[@r.rookley4236]

"Hey Cops are great, Were here to stop violence and save people - But were not superman." Shit man that got me tearing up. I can't imagine as a Civ what horrible shit you have been through YET YOU KEEP GOING!! What a legend. Much Love from the UK.

[@sabatheus]

We need more sheep dogs like this dude. His passion for his work is admirable, despite it being one of the toughest jobs you can imagine.

[@loganwhitney8471]

I'd just want to walk up to this man and give him a big hug, cause he needs someone to talk to and let out all that stored up sadness

[@robertmclease]

even if it's a larper

[@marshallzzzz]

@@robertmclease bro what? Larpers are dudes who try to look tactical or act military yet have no prior experience. Even then a lot of them are talented and are good at what they do. This guy is a literal swat team member.

[@robertmclease]

@@marshallzzzz sources: trust me bro

[@robertmclease]

@@marshallzzzz you can't prove he is a real swat member.

[@StealthTheFoxz]

@@robertmclease Question then; how can you prove he isn't?

[@deathninja16]

I remember when I was a kid I was with my friend in his dad's tow truck he got called to take a vehicle to impound. He had used his favorite shotgun to give himself a root canal. Looking back at that blood soaked windshield darkened almost a purple color. Half of his head was left in the vehicle.

[@Pilps]

Watching this but, while listening to the Ready or Not Main Menu music, hits different.

[@kwonk585]

Why the hell are you here?

[@elil212]

Haunting…*knock knock* “Hey, always here.”

[@aaroncowan9832]

"Sand in the hour glass" chills bro, thank you for protecting us

[@grimreefer213]

I had to donate right away when I saw less than $1k, this is the first time I donated on youtube. If there’s something I can get behind it’s first responders, all respect and thank you to people who put it on the line to resolve problems and save lives. It’s difficult to listen to and people have to understand that freedom and safety isn’t free and someone has to pay a cost

[@FirstLast-cc6cv]

"It gets a little different when you got 950 grains of *stop* coming your way"

[@cgomez4801]

Thanks for this man! Just hearing him talk about what he goes through daily really makes me take a different perspective on life. Definitely makes me want to strive to be better, thank you.

[@chromium521]

*knock Knock* "Always here, just waiting, go ahead, the sands are falling in my hour glass." damn that's scary to think about

[@gameknight0130]

when he said "what do we do?" at 17:50 I burst out laughing that was just so funny but overall, love this guy. I have a family member who is a first responder (fireman) and love hearing stories from all of the first responder family

[@sol.ringen]

i could listen to him talk for hours. so much respect for him and the work he does. straight up hero. thank you for keeping us safe.

[@danielmarett1083]

me studying my 2nd year in criminology SWATtheory: useless :,)

[@josiahjones7654]

It really do be like dat sometimes

[@zachwheelock5647]

Lmao someone in your local department should’ve told you that brother

[@danielmarett1083]

@@zachwheelock5647 Im just a uni student in the uk pre academy training, haven't got the slightest clue as our education is absolutely fucked but im too far in to back out now xD

[@korvincarry3268]

Hey at least you were told here. I figured it out going into my final year, at which point.... well, might as well get the paper that says i did it and move on with life, lmao

[@voodooprince5561]

The fact that this guy couldn't join the military for medical reasons is so unfortunate. There are so many that make it through who aren't soldiers in the most basic sense of the word. He has the perfect personality type. Great to see that he was able to find his purpose in law enforcement.

[@Hy_rize]

massive thank you to this man and any form of law enforcement or military, you guys really go through it, i wish nothing but blessing for you all.

[@Schrodingers_kid]

41:12 For those of you who don't know: Major bleeding Airways Respiration Circulation Heat Basically you're stopping bleeds, making sure person doesn't choke on shard of their teeth / after throwing up, that they breathe and none of the lungs have collapsed / filled with blood / air, they aren't freezing due to shock of bloodloss and that blood is where it needs to be. Not much you can't do about head injuries. Honestly, even if the person survives getting shot in the head and falls on the operating table, there's very little you can do to save them.

[@spencer6207]

Kinda pisses me off that 21 y/o mfs coming up to SWATtheory here and saying he's paranoid, it's SWAT?!?! It's not being paranoid it's being TRAINED ffs, there's a reason people hate this generation and its a lack of professionalism smh

[@charliebacon3778]

We forget how fragile we are

[@TheBabyDerp]

His job is literally dealing with the worst people. If anyone has a right to be paranoid, it's swat team.

[@Poodleinacan]

I be blastin' my music full volume while I barge in and shoot everyone and be a hero, yo.

[@texastoast2099]

I just found this video and damn... you've been through alot man.. thank you for serving and protecting man takes a special person to go out day and day and face the shit.

[@mshark8246]

The most normal person in vr chat but seriously I wish him a safe career

[@mysticspite6750]

*gets pinged by the pringles can*

[@chrisharry3475]

once you pop you cant stop

[@mysticspite6750]

@@chrisharry3475 true

[@Svoroda]

Pringle can deployed and ready to go

[@kickasspeanuts]

Pringles bot is now in my vocabulary, thanks SWATtheory.

[@bustafood]

Just came across this. Definitely speaking the truth. 8 years so far here. Currently an FTO and SWAT (4 try outs too), and can relate to a lot of this.

[@sr71sr71]

Amazing interview. Thank you for the honesty and grounding reality. Some people forget yall are human too.

[@gottago9824]

"950 grains of stop sent your way" I lol'd

[@akashiamizore193]

I have family in and served in military and in law inforcmant. I'm am grateful and thankful for all you guys do. Thank you so much .

[@typerez1251]

Beware those that declare a group as inherently bad. I would not be able to do as they do, yet I do hope I would have the heart to be willing to help. Love the vid, respect, and condolences.

[@ablackbunny3149]

"Only a sith deals in absolutes" applies here I guess.

[@Sketch2710]

I dont know who he is but his service will not be forgotten