(Not sure which forum this should go under because it’s only loosely related to the game, so mods please feel free to move it if needed.)
In the recently released game SWAT 4, you control a SWAT team (duh). You’re sent in to different places and you have to secure the entire area to complete the mission. That means arresting/killing all the suspects, confiscating firearms, and also handcuffing all the hostages and civilian bystanders on the scene.
That last part struck me as odd. Is that part of actual SWAT procedure in real life, or just something the game added? And if it’s real, why do they do it? Do normal (non-SWAT) cops do it as well?
Oops, just to be clear, I meant the part about handcuffing the civilians. In the game, they present absolutely no threat to you and they even complain about you handcuffing the wrong people whenever you do it. But you have to if you want to finish the missions.
Sure, they do it to make sure the that they have control of the situation and everything is secure. I remember the news during Columbine showing police officers having the fleeing children keep their hands above their heads like they would a suspect.
Scenario: I’m one of a band of criminals. We have infiltrated a bank or somesuch, and then things go sideways and shooting starts. I’m alone, trying to crack the vault, when I realize that all my team is dead.
I whip off my mask and overalls, and suddenly I’m just another terrified bank patron.
From what I understand, SOP for these situations is to cuff EVERYONE and question everyone… the idea being that anyone that most folks say is a criminal trying to get out with the rest of the crowd will be identified as such.
not to mention the hazard of being in a shoot out with bad guys and have the hostages running around in between you and the bad guys. I’ve shot more than one hostage in that game because of that.
Odds are, they also do it to prevent any non-hostage who looks like a hostage from shooting one of them. It’s not very common, but worrisome enough to want to do it.
What gets me about SWAT 4 is that sometimes, when the civilian is non-compliant, you need to hit 'em with a taser or something to get them to comply. Yelling at them doesn’t do the trick, you actually have to show them that you mean business! I wonder how many SWAT officers had to taser civilians to get them to comply in real life.