S.W.A.T.

A routine patrol turns into a nightmare for police officer James Street as he and his partner drive into a 'cop killer' ambush while answering a family dispute call in "The Killing Ground," the premiere episode of "S.W.A.T." Street's partner, officer Rob Duran, is killed in the premeditated police assassination by two brothers bent on avenging their father's death. That and subsequent police killings serve to shape the psychology of Lt. Dan "Hondo" Harrelson's newly formed Special Weapons and Tactics team, "S.W.A.T." The team's task is to combat high risk, contemporary, urban crime as a strike force. ''S.W.A.T." consists of James Street, serving as the team scout; former divinity student, David "Deacon" Kay -- the team's observer and communications expert; their rear guard -- all-American cop, T. J. McCabe; former narcotics agent and self-styled Serpico -- their marksman, Dominic Luca and the team leader, professional cop Harrelson. S.W.A.T.'s first assignment is an acid test of their ability to survive as individuals and as a team. Their rigorous training is literally a fight against time and, for two on "The Killing Ground, " it isn't fast enough.

Sal Mineo guest stars as an escaped mass murderer who reassembles his followers in a plot to punish everyone responsible for his arrest and conviction, including S.W.A.T. leader "Hondo" Harrelson in "Coven of Killers." Three members of Joey Hopper's "family," including newcomer Judy Collins, engineer Hopper's escape from a prison's hospital ward. After executing an assistant District Attorney, Hopper sends a recorded message to "Hondo" that he will be the next victim and that he also intends to punish the jury that found him guilty of other homicides. Russ Collins, owner of an underground newspaper that has published sympathetic articles about Hopper, refuses to admit knowledge of Hopper's whereabouts until "Hondo" informs Collins that his daughter, Judy, has become a member of the treacherous cult.

Lt. Hondo Harrelson and his men go after a sniper whose three carefully selected male victims had only one thing is common -- each was involved with the same girl -- in "Death Carrier." In a period of a year, model Janet Warren dated three young men, and each has been killed by a sniper's bullet. Police have been unable to find motives or suspects. Since Janet is the only link, Hondo assigns officer Jim Street to pose as the beautiful girl's latest boyfriend in a plan to draw out the sniper who apparently has Janet under constant surveillance.

After thwarting a food market heist involving hostages, preventing an attempted suicide-by-fire and launching a kidnapping investigation, Lt. Hondo Harrelson is ordered to extend cooperation to a beautiful young magazine writer planning a series of articles on Special Weapons and Tactics in "Pressure-Cooker." Hondo and his men have been working around the clock when lady journalist Meredith Cooper reports, with police department approval, to spend several days with the S.W.A.T. team. Ms. Cooper's presence creates problems: Her beauty is distracting. Her manner is pushy and her opinion of policemen is anchored somewhere below sea level.

A big city hospital becomes a battleground as Lt. Hondo Harrelson and his team attempt to thwart a second assassination attempt on a mobster scheduled to testify before a Senate committee in "Hit Men." Vincent Ritchie, serving a prison sentence, agrees to expose the secrets of a crime syndicate when he learns of "family" plans to insure his permanent silence. As he is transported with a police escort from the penitentiary, Ritchie is gravely wounded in an ambush attack that claims the life of a police officer. While doctors fight to save the convict's life, Hondo's team and other S.W.A.T. units station themselves throughout the hospital, awaiting an expected attempt to finish Ritchie off.

When Sgt. "Deacon" Kay is wounded by gunfire from a jewel thief holding a woman hostage, Hondo temporarily replaces him with an old friend whose erratic, overzealous actions demoralize the team in "Jungle War." Bo Pritchard is a veteran police officer who also served with Hondo in Vietnam. Having completed S.W.A.T. training, Pritchard all but begs Hondo to give him a chance to work on the team until "Deacon" Kay recovers. But going into action with Hondo recalls memories of jungle warfare to Pritchard whose hostility and resentments eventually pull him into an emotional breakdown.