The Nation's first Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team was established in Los Angeles in 1968.  It was a 60-man unit comprised of 15 four-man teams.  This was and still is a full-time assignment.  The LAPD team was created primarily to respond to incidents of sniper fire or barricaded suspects.

Their written justification was "The task of stopping attacks from such sources can best be accomplished with a small group of highly disciplined officers using special weapons and tactics designed to neutralize the opposing firepower source with a judicious application of deadly force in a manner that presents minimal hazards to the lives of residents, passers by and Police Officers in the area.

Conroe Police Department's SWAT Team was created in 1979.

The original Team appears to have been nine Officers.  The current approved strength is twenty-three in operations with an additional eleven in support. The Team is considered to be a stand-by / Not Full Time.  SWAT members maintain positions throughout the department and are assigned full-time positions in Patrol, CID, etc.  Support personnel are in CID, Communications, and the Conroe Fire Department.  SWAT is also provided additional medical support from the Montgomery County Hospital District's Emergency Response Team.

The Team was initially implemented to respond to situations including raids, stakeouts, sniper situations, VIP protection, hostage situations, rescue operations, bomb threats and barricade operations.

The Team's creator was then Sergeant John T. Lindon, at the direction of then Chief Don Massey.  There have only been four SWAT Team Commanders since its inception.  General Orders and Standard Operation Procedures strictly govern the operations of the current SWAT Team.