Do I have to join the army in order to become a police sniper?
Someone told me I need to join the Army and then SWAT in order to become a sniper and that I couldn’t immediately be a sniper on the SWAT team. Is this true? If not then what do I have to do.
Someone was wrong. I’m sure that somewhere there are snipers on SWAT teams who were in the Army but not many. No you cannot immediately be a sniper on the SWAT team. You will first work as a uniformed officer in patrol for many years AND if your production is good, if you have good recommendations, and you make a lot of arrests you may be recommended for SWAT. But you are not going to waltz into SWAT.
Not sure if you realize it but SWAT as portrayed on television is nothing like real life. A sniper could go twenty years without firing a shot.
Army/Swat Tactical Hand Signals