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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Was the first SWAT team created to confront the Black Panthers?
Friday, January 22, 2021
By Stevie Rosignol-Cortez
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NO
The first major use in the U.S. of a specialized SWAT team was in a four-hour standoff between the Black Panthers and a 40-member Los Angeles SWAT team in 1969, after the group resisted search warrants for illegal weapons.
The concept of a “Special Weapons and Tactics” unit within a police force predates the Black Panthers, which was founded in 1966. Philadelphia created a SWAT team in 1964 to deal with bank robberies, and Los Angeles formed a team to respond to the Watts Riots in 1965. SWAT teams are now common in police departments even in smaller cities.
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Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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