
Behind the Bastards Part Two: Daryl Gates: The Man Who Invented SWAT Teams and DARE
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Oct 23, 2025 The discussion dives deep into Daryl Gates' controversial career, from his early police work in Watts to his dramatic response during the LA Riots. It explores the founding of SWAT, originally called Special Weapons Attack Teams, and its first major operation against the Black Panthers. The podcast highlights Gates' creation of the DARE program and critiques its effectiveness in schools. Ultimately, it addresses how rising crime and public perception kept Gates in power, leading up to the backlash from the Rodney King incident and the ensuing riots.
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Mistaking Civil Unrest For Insurgency
- Gates ignored community leaders who urged keeping police out to let tensions cool.
- He treated urban unrest like a military insurgency and prepared a paramilitary response.
Origin Story Of SWAT In LAPD
- Daryl Gates and John Nelson created the first SWAT to counter perceived urban insurgencies after Watts.
- Their model borrowed heavily from Vietnam-era special forces thinking.
SWAT's Bloody First Major Raid
- SWAT's first major action was a violent raid on Black Panther headquarters that exchanged thousands of rounds.
- The operation arrested few people and achieved little by legal or public-safety standards.






