Rules of Lethal Engagement

The **Rules of Lethal Engagement** (**ROE**) is an important gameplay mechanic in both the single player and the co-op game modes of SWAT 4. It is a set of rules that dictate when lethal forces can be applied on a suspect. The primary aim of these rules is to value the worth and sanctity of an individual's life to preserve it. When combined with the mission score system, the rules will define most of the difficulties when playing the game, while seperating the gameplay from other contemporary shooter video games on the market.

The purpose for adhering to the ROE is clearly specified in the game. SWAT is essentially a life-saving organization and hence it would be ironic if SWAT itself recklessly ended the lives of others regardless of their moral status. However, how the ROE is implemented in the game has some drawbacks while also generating controversies.

## Description

The Rules of Lethal Engagement, also referred to as the ROE, are predominant in every single player and co-op missions in the SWAT 4 series. The ROE cannot be ignored in the game from the Normal diffculty and above, hence discouraging the player from killing every suspect on sight.

In the game, lethal force can only be justified under one of the following conditions below:

* **A suspect is aiming their firearm at any person.** This is the most common occurrence in the game which demands quick reflexes from the player.
* **A suspect has fired their weapon after the mission starts.** Since this act of hostility was capable of injuring or threatening the life of another, the player is entitled to return fire immediately in order to end the threat.
* **A suspect has caused the injury, incapacitation or death of any individual after the mission starts:** The individual responsible for such acts of hostility is a potent threat to the life and safety of nearby people and therefore it is deemed necessary to exercise lethal force to prevent any further casualties.

However, the player is **not** authorized to use lethal force under the following circumstances explained below:

* **An armed suspect has chosen to flee but has not shown *any* acts of hostility prior to this.** Since the suspect has not yet chosen to endanger the life of the people around them, the player must refrain from using lethal force on this subject.
* **An armed suspect refuses to surrender, but has decided to lower or drop their firearm after pointing it at someone.** This instance usually occurs if the player attacked the suspect after they pointed their firearm, then decided to pause the attack to allow the suspect time to change their animations. Since the suspect did not cause any damage at this point and has changed their mind to choose not to endanger the life of the people around them, the player must refrain from using lethal force on this subject.
* **An unarmed suspect is pulling out a backup weapon in front of the player.** This instance may often occur when an unarmed suspect is surprised by the player before they had the chance to arm themselves. Since the suspect has not yet chosen to aim their weapon at the people around them, the player must refrain from using lethal force on this subject.
* **An unsuspecting suspect scans the horizon with their firearm without actively targeting someone.** This instance may often occur when a suspect inspects a new room or open a door. Since the suspect's motivation for raising their firearm is not for engaging in hostility, the player must refrain from using lethal force on this subject.

An important caveat that is worth mentioning here is that the ROE places the emphasis on the *consequence* of firing a weapon rather than the *act* of firing a weapon. In another word, if the suspect subjected to lethal force is not incapacitated or dead as the result, the ROE restrictions do not apply. This side effect serves as a valuable opportunity to force compliance on suspects through non life-threatening injuries.

Another distinction to note here is that the ROE only governs the interaction between the player and the suspects. Injuries inflicted by the player on civilians and AI SWAT officers during the course of a mission will always invite score deductions regardless of where the damage is coming from or whether the subject is still standing at the end of a mission.

## Exemptions to ROE

Given that the ROE is implemented based on the consequence of firing a weapon, it cannot be applied to non-lethal weapons that deals *no* damage. *Less*-lethal weapons like flashbang, stinger, grenade launcher and melee attack that are capable of injuring suspects still falls under the purview of the ROE. Also using snipers against suspects are exempted from the ROE. Finally the AI SWAT officers will always be incapable of breaking the ROE, regardless of the weapons they are carrying.

## Penalties

When the player violates the ROE during a mission, the violation is considered a penalty and points are deducted from the mission score as compensation. If breaking the ROE results in an incapacitated suspect, the "Unauthorized use of force" penalty will be applied. Otherwise a dead suspect will invoke the "Unauthorized use of deadly force" penalty. The penalty will then be multiplied per suspects neutralized while breaking the ROE. On Normal diffculty setting in the vanilla games, killing four or more suspects without obeying the ROE will be more than enough to fail the mission despite meeting all mission objectives.

## Drawbacks and Controversies

How the ROE is implemented in the game has generated some drawbacks and controversies against the gameplay. The main sources of controversies can be categorized as the following:

* **The ROE places restrictions on the *consequence* of using a weapon rather than the actual *usage* of a weapon.** The ROE implementation in the game allows the player to legally apply lethal force as long as the suspect is not incapacitated or dead as the result, whereas in reality the court of law will actually examine the *intention* to apply lethal force via pointing or firing a firearm regardless whether the target is hit. Also under the eyes of the law, someone drawing a weapon or carelessly pointing their firearm at random directions has demonstrated ample intention to be a threat, regardless whether the motivation behind such action is mundane or not.
* **The ROE places restrictions on the types of *weapon* used rather than the types of *force* used.** The ROE implementation in the game specifically exempts the use of non-lethal weapons like Less Lethal Shotgun, Taser Stun Gun and Pepper-ball Gun, despite the concept of non-lethal weapon is a misnomer and they can cause serious injuries in real life. Also the reckless usage of lethal weaponry like the sniper rifle is encouraged to bypass the ROE restrictions.
* **The ROE is not flexible enough to accommodate real life scenarios.** In reality, the SWAT ROE is usually loosened for active shooter scenarios like the A-Bomb Nightclub, St. Michael's Medical Center or Fresnal St. Station, where the mere refusal to disarm is more than justified for applying lethal force. Also the player is not authorized to employ lethal force on an armed suspect "fleeing" specifically in the direction of the player, whereas in reality such a scenario would be legally justified.

## Changes in Elite Force

In SWAT: Elite Force, non-lethal weapons such as Less Lethal Shotgun, Taser Stun Gun and Cobra Stun Gun are now capable of doing damage and thus have been placed under the restriction of ROE. Also the snipers have been put under the purview of ROE as well. Finally the score penalty for "Unauthorized use of deadly force" has been doubled.