Selective Enforcement Unit

During the late 1960s and into the 70s, police departments across the country were considering a new type of unit, one that could be mobilized to deal with exceptional situations. The Los Angeles Police Department pioneered this movement with the formation of its SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) team in 1968, after the riots in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. This team was comprised of smaller, four-officer groups, including an officer armed with a rifle fitted with a telescopic sight.

Federal legislation was passed in 1968 and 1969 to help other cities establish their own SWAT units, citing concerns over race riots, the Black Panther movement, and the illegal drug trade. (These teams would become increasingly common during the War on Drugs and after 9/11.)

The Raleigh Police Department formed its Selective Enforcement Unit (SEU) in 1974, under Chief Robert E. Goodwin [1971 – 1979]. The idea was first proposed to the Raleigh City Council in July, after an anti-death penalty protest clashed with a counter protest held by a white supremacist group.

The unit’s formation was not without controversy; although the council did recommend that the city apply for federal funds, the members also cited concerns about the poor reputation of such units in general. However, the Raleigh Police Department’s unit differed notably from the typical SWAT team model from the onset. SEU was given a wide range of duties, including providing protection at demonstrations and parades, assisting during times of heavy crime, and even exceptional traffic control issues. Chief Goodwin is quoted as saying, “This is not to be used as the old riot squad,” in response to voiced concerns that, in earlier years, some squads actually escalated volatile situations in several cities, turning disorder into rioting. According to him, the unit would work within “the overall framework and philosophy of the department.”

The first iteration of the SEU was comprised of six volunteers from the Raleigh Police Department. The team doubled in size within its first two years and was split into two squads in 1978. In the same year, it was cited for discriminatory selection processes; there were no female SEU officers, and only one African American officer.

The SEU would be used in a number of situations in the years after its formation. It worked in tension-filled crises such as hostage negotiations, but it also protected high-profile visitors and assisted in stakeouts of areas experiencing high levels of crime.

During the 1980s, the War on Drugs and threats associated with increased drugs raids resulted in the creation of more SWAT teams across the country. Raleigh, in response to these same trends as well as an increase in city population, added a third SEU squad. By the early 1990s, specialized squads were well established within the department.

As of 2020, only 127 members of the Raleigh Police Department have served on the SEU since its inception on December 1, 1974.

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Lieutenant Ernest Lassiter, with the backing and endorsement of Captain Robbie Carroll of the Services Division, applied for a state grant to fund a 6-man SWAT team for the city. At the time, the Raleigh City Council was hesitant to use the term SWAT, since these units were seen as an excessive use of police personnel and equipment. Thus, the term “Selective Enforcement Unit” was coined to ensure that members of the council, and the community, understood the need for a highly trained group of law enforcement officers that could handle a multitude of different assignments and critical incidents.

SEU Team Two was established and began to share much of the duties originally assigned to just one team. Each team member was provided a take-home vehicle and all necessary equipment. Officers trained monthly to keep up with the ever-changing responses to incidents in the city. While trained to handle armed responses to critical events, the two teams worked directly under the chief of police and responded to crime trends such as repeat robbery and burglary locations. Team Members often set up surveillance for hours and days to capture suspects wanted for major crimes. They even participating in decoy operations, during which team members themselves posed as clerks at establishments that were being targeted by robbers. Team members often developed the tactics and plans to capture suspects wanted in connection with high-profile sexual assaults and rapes that had occurred in the southwest side of the city.

A third team of six members was added to the SEU to provide even more coverage for the 24-hour, on-call unit. By this time, the unit was training weekly to ensure the team’s skills, abilities, and knowledge were of the highest caliber in the country. During the 1990s and early 2000s, the SEU received additional training and equipment. The unit’s skills and efficiency were demonstrated numerous times as team members competed against other tactical teams around the state, winning the tops honors almost every year at the State SWAT competition, hosted by the NC Justice Academy and the NC Tactical Officers Association.

The third SEU team was disbanded by Chief Perlov. However, the two remaining teams eventually became larger, having approximately 10 officers per team.

SEU Team Three was re-activated and each team was given a record-setting number of 10 officers per team. The unit was also given an additional sergeant position to oversee training, equipment, and logistics. The department’s separate Sniper/Observer Unit was also dissolved from its original designation and integrated into the SEU. During the next several years, the unit would be tasked with handling numerous incidents involving protests, civil unrest, and acts of civil disobedience. The unit also shifted its training to focus more on skills and tactics for responding to active shooters and hostage rescues.

The third SEU team was again dissolved after numerous promotions and transfers from the unit.

Presently, there are two teams, each with 10 members, on opposing shifts to provide the city with as much 24-hour coverage as possible, with one team being on-call every other week. The two teams still provide service to all of the different divisions within the police department, assisting on a daily basis with search warrant services, arrest warrant service, calls for service, surveillance, crime suppression, protest and civil unrest response, barricaded armed subjects, executive protection details, funeral honor guards, 21-gun salute honor guards, shootings, and hostage rescues. Several members of the unit also conduct training for the department in firearms, subject control and arrest techniques, mobile field force, and building search. The specialized technology, equipment, and training continue to be the backbone of the Unit. While continuing to maintain the Sniper/Observer Unit, SEU also oversees the Energized Breaching Unit, as well as the Climbing/Rappelling Rescue and Underwater Dive Recovery Units. Each team member still maintains their own take-home vehicle, as well as ballistic body armor and assigned specialized weapons. The unit also maintains six additional support vehicles such as the BEAR armored vehicle, a tactical equipment truck, two covert surveillance and deployment vans, and two utility vehicles for tactical response during major events downtown and at entertainment/sports complexes.