Formed in 1987, the Gwinnett County Police Department SWAT Team is composed of 50-60 Police Officers that are highly trained in tactics to counter the threats posed by well-armed and violent suspects. While uniformed Officers can and do handle the vast majority of incidents, there are occasions where the specialized training and equipment available to SWAT is needed. The presence of a skilled police tactical unit has been shown to substantially reduce shooting incidents and reduce the risk of injury or loss of life to innocent citizens, police officers, and suspects.

The mission of the Gwinnett County Police SWAT Team is to provide a highly trained and skilled tactical team as a resource for the county in handling critical incidents in order to reduce the risk of injury or loss of life to citizens, police officers, and suspects.

The SWAT Team is divided into several organizational components: Command and Control, the Crisis Negotiation Team, Entry and Containment, Snipers, Support, and the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team. Currently the Gwinnett County Police SWAT Team is a collateral team (part time) with most members being assigned to other full time duties within the Police Department when not on SWAT calls or in training.

The Gwinnett County Police Department also participates in state, national, and international SWAT competitions. The Gwinnett Police SWAT team has taken first place in the Georgia Games SWAT competition over the last three years. The team has also placed in the top ten teams in the international SWAT Round-up Competition and the World SWAT Challenge.