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Comment Reprint Information  Police Armored Rescue Vehicles:
Tactical Rescue Considerations  Written by Jim Weiss  Central to
the mission for all SWAT teams is rescuing pinned down, injured
persons—civilian and police alike—under hostile gunfire. This
worst-case scenario is a prime reason for SWAT’s existence.
Unfortunately, worst-case is precisely what occurred in two of
the biggest law enforcement shootouts in recent U.S. history.
The 1993 ATF-Branch Davidian raid and shootout near Waco, TX
resulted in multiple ATF casualties—four killed, 16 wounded,
with an unknown number of Branch Davidian casualties. Only a
negotiated “truce” prevented further loss of life.  The 1997
North Hollywood bank robbery / shootout between officers from
the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and two heavily armed,
armor-protected robbers resulted in 11 officers wounded and both
robbers killed. Both Waco and North Hollywood stand out among
the fiercest police firef