In this article, we are going to explore John Nelson (police officer) and its relevance in the current context. John Nelson (police officer) has been the subject of discussion and study in various areas, being a topic of interest to academics, professionals and experts in the field. Over the years, John Nelson (police officer) has proven to have a significant influence on different aspects of daily life, from its impact on society to its role in the development of new technologies. Through this article, we seek to analyze and understand the importance of John Nelson (police officer), as well as the implications it can have in different areas of knowledge.
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (February 2022) |
John G. Nelson | |
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Born | John G. Nelson May 14, 1928 Iowa, U.S. |
Died | February 28, 2003 San Clemente, California, U.S. | (aged 74)
Police career | |
Country | United States |
Allegiance | Los Angeles |
Department | Los Angeles Police Department |
Service years | 1955–1971 |
Rank | Sworn in as officer (1955) Sergeant |
John G. Nelson (14 May 1928 – 28 February 2003) was an American police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department who is considered to be the founding father of the SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) concept.
After the Watts riots of 1965, Sergeant Nelson personally approached LAPD chief William Parker with his proposal for a SWAT unit. Nelson had served in the United States Marine Corps and based the SWAT concept on the Recon units, believing that a small squad of highly trained police officers armed with special weapons would be more effective in a riotous situation than a massive police response.
Chief Parker liked the proposal and presented it to his command staff. He asked for a volunteer to form the SWAT unit. Fearing a political backlash, no one on his command staff was willing to volunteer, including Daryl Gates. Parker then told Nelson to go ahead and form the SWAT unit himself, which he did.