Hondo and the SWAT team spread out across Los Angeles in pursuit of four escaped convicts, including a violent criminal Jessica helped bring to justice, before department rival Mumford and his team beat them to the collars. Also, Hondo’s new role as team leader is called into question when Street displays a flagrant disregard for SWAT protocol.
When a series of home invasions are committed by SWAT imposters in an upscale neighborhood, Hondo and the team suspect the burglarized families are all hiding something. Also, when Deacon and Luca are assigned to protect a visiting professional hockey player who is receiving death threats, his penchant for trouble becomes a complication.
Hondo and the SWAT team are forced to work over their Christmas vacation when a drug cartel is out for blood after their cache of gold bars is stolen. Also, Jessica draws the attention of Michael Plank, president of the Police Commission, when she approaches him with her ideas on how to improve the SWAT division.
When a misconduct complaint filed against Hondo gets him taken off active duty, Deacon steps up to lead the team in finding a robbery crew that is hitting marijuana dispensaries. Also, when Tan notices a similarity between the current robberies and a case from his time with Hollywood LAPD, he asks for help from an informant with whom he has a complicated history.
Hondo and the SWAT team join forces with the FBI on a manhunt to find members of a militia group planning a domestic terror attack by weaponizing cyanide. Also, as Jessica’s new police initiatives with Michael Plank, president of the police commission, move forward, she braces herself for the negative impact the plans could have on her relationships within the department.
Hondo and Jessica’s secret relationship comes to a crossroads when Michael Plank, the president of the police commission, discovers their affair. Also, when Hondo and the team assist with the federal investigation to bring in an undocumented fugitive, they find themselves at the center of a citywide immigration debate.
The job becomes personal for Hondo when his criminal informant friend is killed while seeking information about a robbery crew that a joint SWAT and FBI task force is trying to capture. Also, when the FBI task force leader acts erratically, Jessica worries the woman’s behavior will endanger the team in the field.
As Hondo and SWAT work to de-escalate a hostage situation in which an ex-convict is holding a local family captive, the mission takes a dangerous turn that impacts the team. Also, when Street tires of his complicated romantic entanglements, he agrees to let Chris make over his online dating profile.
Hondo confronts his long-held resentment towards his ailing father, Daniel Harrelson, Sr., when he and his sister, Briana, try to convince their dad he’s no longer well enough to live alone. Also, when the SWAT team works as patrol officers for a day, Chris is partnered with Mumford, who intends to make her a surprising offer.
A fake 911 call puts Hondo and the SWAT team on the hunt to stop a white supremacy group from executing bombing attacks on local communities. Also, Street’s relationship with his recently paroled mother, Karen, jeopardizes his career, and Jessica is thrown a curveball by her colleague, Michael Plank, president of the police commission.
The SWAT team engages in a standoff with human traffickers holding child hostages when a major earthquake hits Los Angeles during their operation and compromises the takedown. Also, while Hondo forms an unexpected personal connection with Deputy District Attorney Nia Wells, Jim Street has trouble adjusting to his new life as a patrol officer.
The SWAT team works together with their former member Jim Street to find a woman and her son who are running from an international drug cartel. Also, Hondo makes a distressing discovery about his incarcerated friend’s teen son, and Luca mulls over a government program that allows officers to buy homes in the at-risk neighborhoods they police.
Hondo suspects an ulterior motive when Eric Wells, a U.S. marshal who is the estranged husband of his romantic interest, Deputy District Attorney Nia Wells, requests the S.W.A.T. team’s help with apprehending a fugitive who is robbing drug cargo shipments. Also, Jessica is forced to implement departmental budget cuts, and Street makes a heartbreaking discovery about his mother, Karen.
Hondo and Lina go undercover to infiltrate and take back a cruise ship that’s under siege by drug smugglers who will execute passengers if they detect police on board. Also, Street enters the SWAT Training Academy and finds the competition fiercer than he expected, with the applicants all vying for the one SWAT position available for the year.
The SWAT team tries to determine the next diamond dealer to be robbed by a group of highly organized thieves executing heists across downtown Los Angeles. When Hondo is emotionally affected by a suspect’s death during the case, he seeks comfort from his mother, Charice. Also, while Street worries that Luca, his SWAT training academy instructor, has a personal vendetta against him, Chris contemplates an unorthodox relationship offer from the new woman she’s dating.
The SWAT team hunts for a band of criminals re-enacting the crimes of the infamous Symbionese Liberation Army, whose decades-old offenses made local and national news. Seeking expertise on the original crime spree in the 1970s, Luca and his father, Carl Luca, review the files of Luca’s late grandfather who worked for SWAT during the era of the original crimes. Also, Hondo experiences discrimination from a fellow officer during a SWAT training seminar for local law enforcement in Arizona.
The SWAT team sets out to recover dozens of DNA evidence kits stolen from an LAPD crime lab and bring in the crew responsible, after a close friend of Captain Hicks is harmed during the theft. Also, financial strain at home makes it difficult for Deacon to focus on his role as leader of the SWAT division’s annual holiday toy drive.
Jessica and Chris go undercover in Mexico, alone and without back-up, to save a Mexican federal agent kidnapped by a drug-dealing gang that Jessica helped bring to justice years before. Also, Hondo’s mother, Charice, worries he’s under emotional strain when he engages in a series of small home renovation projects in her home.
The SWAT team pursues a group of unknown assailants responsible for a patrol officer’s death before tension in the city between the police and the community explodes. Also, as Chris reels from the revelation that she knew the patrol officer who was killed, Deacon and his wife, Annie, prepare to welcome their newest child.
The SWAT team struggles to maintain peace on the eve of a Los Angeles LGBTQ pride festival after a hate crime sparks citywide anger that ignites further violence. As Chris grows anxious for her fellow LGBTQ community members calling for retribution, the festival reunites Commander Hicks with JP, his estranged gay son. Also, Street worries his mother will be sent back to prison after she fails to check in with her probation officer, and Deacon gets unexpected medical news regarding his newborn daughter.
The SWAT team discovers a new version of PCP with ties to an escaped drug dealer who created a version that ravaged the city decades earlier. Tan’s personal ties to the case emerge when he brings in his mentor, Ben Mosley, the former lead detective on the original drug case, to help. Also, Chris weighs a major decision regarding her romantic relationship with Kira and Ty, and Hondo’s patience is tested by his new familial responsibilities.
The SWAT team goes in pursuit again of the militant group The Emancipators when the criminals hold a live stream kangaroo court to publicly execute city politicians. Also, Hondo fights to lift Darryl’s spirits; Deacon feels unworthy as he prepares to receive one of the LAPD’s highest honors; and Street catches a break in the search for his missing parolee mother, Karen Street.
The SWAT team works with Lieutenant Piper Lynch, a senior LAPD Hollywood Division officer, when the mayor assigns her to oversee city departments joining forces to stop a serial bomber using drones as detonation devices. Just as Hondo settles into legal guardianship of his teen charge, his home life becomes more complicated when his estranged father unexpectedly moves in.
Deacon’s family gets caught in the crosshairs of a drug cartel when he and the SWAT team aim to bring down its leader, a former foreign rebel force leader running drugs in plain sight via a local flower market. Also, Hondo receives troubling news regarding his father, and Tan is forced to go before an internal review board due to his girlfriend’s indiscretion.
Street reconnects with his estranged foster brother to help a joint investigation between SWAT and the Long Beach PD when criminals steal a mass arsenal of LAPD assault rifles. Hondo finds himself at odds with his father over the elder man’s declining health. Luca is overwhelmed when the entire team reconsiders becoming investors in his food truck.
The Harrelsons engage in a tense family reunion when Hondo’s older sister, Winnie, begrudgingly arrives in Los Angeles to see their sick father for the first time in decades. The SWAT team searches for an abducted Middle Eastern human rights activist. Luca’s food truck business hits a snag. Street worries that dating Captain Hick’s daughter, Molly, will negatively impact his career.
The SWAT team engages in tense negotiations with a family that takes a local officer hostage when they’re evicted from their home due to eminent domain. Hondo reflects on his personal life choices as he helps his father through a medical crisis. Chris’ relationship with Kira and Ty reaches a critical juncture.
The SWAT team's task to provide security for a warlord is threatened by assassins determined to take him out before he's extradited by the International Criminal Court. Also, Hondo's father, Daniel Sr. tries to make amends to his mother, Charice. Street's foster brother, Nate asks for his help with a corrupt boss and Deacon reluctantly explores therapy for his daughter, Lila.
Street is caught between his duty to SWAT and his commitment to his foster brother, Nate, when Nate is ensnared in a criminal enterprise that could ruin them both. The team goes after a ruthless crew that uses deadly force while stealing from card casinos. Buck approaches Deacon to partner on a private security opportunity.
Hondo, Deacon, Tan and Commander Hicks engage in a manhunt across Tokyo when they escort an extradited fugitive to Japan, where he escapes local custody. The remaining members of the team search for any contacts the criminal cultivated while hiding out in LA. Street isolates himself from the team as he deals with family issues.
Deacon's second job working private security at a high-profile boxing match places the team in the middle of a kidnapping case when a prize fighter's wife is abducted. Hondo's young charge, Darryl, becomes frustrated with his lack of paternal rights regarding his infant son. Tan prepares to introduce his critical mother to his girlfriend.
The team’s search for an abducted teen leads them to a member of the Witness Protection Program and a decades-old political extremist group. Hondo and his girlfriend disagree over a guest speaker at her community center. Luca worries he’s not physically ready to return to the field. Commander Hicks reconnects with his estranged son.
The team must protect a hotel full of civilians after a joint task force mission with the LAPD Gang Division goes wrong, and the city’s most dangerous gang leaders scatter across the building to find an escape. Also, Luca’s efforts to coordinate the team’s mission are complicated when his brother, Terry, a freelance stringer reporter, crosses police lines to shoot footage.
Hondo and the team race to save Buck, their former unit leader, when he goes off grid and they fear he plans to harm himself. Flashbacks reveal the search for Buck, which coincides with one of the team’s most brutal missions, as each team member receives counseling and discusses the untold mental and emotional difficulties inherent to working in SWAT.
The team searches for an escaped convict who plans to kill Tan and every member of law enforcement who helped put him in prison years ago. Chris comes face to face with internal corruption when she arrests a young man who is given a free pass due to his powerful father, and a surprise visit by Hondo’s sister, Winnie, puts pressure on his relationship with Nichelle.
The team pursues a couple reminiscent of Bonnie and Clyde, when the duo goes on the run and on the hunt for a set of rare chest pieces worth millions. Hondo and Darryl are surprised when Darryl’s ex-girlfriend visits with his young son. Luca confronts his fear of failing his re-qualification to return to the field as he helps Kelly, his mentee.
Hondo, his father Daniel Sr. and his teen charge, Darryl confront the history of racial tension in Los Angeles between law enforcement and the Black community, through flashbacks to the city in 1992 following the Rodney King verdict. The team pursues El Diablo’s scattered drug cartel hiding in the city and a Jihadist group detonating bombs in coordinated attacks
Hondo is conflicted when Leroy, his incarcerated childhood friend and Darryl's father, asks him to speak on his behalf at a parole hearing. Also, SWAT helps the FBI track down a mob informant on the run from the crime family he is meant to testify against, and the team dynamic becomes complicated when Street and Tan sign up for a leadership competition Chris has been training months for.
The SWAT team goes on the hunt for a sniper who is targeting the Los Angeles Fire Department by setting fires around the city to lure in unsuspecting engine companies. The rivalry between Chris, Street and Tan ratchets up when Tan finds out there’s an internal betting pool on which of them will win the SWAT leadership competition. Street and Molly’s relationship is strained by his complicated history with his imprisoned mother.
The SWAT team partners with the DEA to locate stolen rocket launchers smuggled into Los Angeles, high-power weapons with new technology capable of cutting through armored tanks. Also, a personal issue for Tan arises when a colleague is hurt in the field; Hondo's inquiry into the arrest of a homeless veteran for Leroy , Darryl's father, sparks an idea for a new policing initiative; and Luca suspects the mother of his mentee, Kelly, wants to date him.
When S.W.A.T.’s armored vehicle is stolen, the squad must team up with FBI Agent Vasquez, a former LAPD officer who was once denied a position on the S.W.A.T. team, to stop the vehicle from being used in a potential terrorist attack. Also, Hondo and Nischelle prepare for their baby’s gender reveal party.
When an intruder breaks into the home of a Hollywood actress, Hondo and the team are forced to partner with an old nemesis – former 20 Squad leader Sanchez – to track down a dangerous criminal who’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants. Also, Tan struggles to find the perfect anniversary gift for his wife.
SWAT hunts down a Chilean arms dealer after he kidnaps a woman and her daughter from a party in L.A. with unexpected intentions. Crossing paths with his brother, Tan is forced to come clean to his family about his divorce from Bonnie, while Hondo discovers that Hicks has received a job offer that could lure him away from SWAT.
While training with Long Beach SWAT, Street discovers a biker club has stolen a cache of armor-piercing bullets and brings 20-Squad into the hunt for the gang before they can pull off a daring and deadly heist. As Hondo struggles with changes at work, Nichelle finds herself at odds with her former colleague Bruce.
When a female robbery crew “honeytraps” and kills several rich VIPs, HONDO and 20-SQUAD are called in to assist FBI Agent Jackie Vasquez in capturing the dangerous fugitives before the death toll rises. Commander Hicks is shocked when his new love, Maggie, abruptly ends their relationship without rhyme or reason. With help from Deacon and Dr. Wendy, Hicks makes an important decision about his romantic future.
As 20-Squad scrambles to track down a cold-blooded sniper terrorizing Los Angeles, Hondo discovers a link to his own South L.A. neighborhood that brings a personal twist to the hunt for the deadly shooter. Meanwhile, Tan finds himself questioning his leadership abilities while Powell and Alfaro compete in a classic game of SWAT tag.
Tan finds himself on a one-man mission to save his new love interest and her journalist co-workers when mercenaries take over a black-tie correspondents’ dinner. After the group escapes, it’s up to SWAT to track down the well-trained gunmen before anyone else is killed. Meanwhile, Hondo and Nichelle return home to find their house trashed, placing them at odds when it’s revealed that Nichelle has a secret. And when Hicks, Mumford and Buck take a trip down memory lane, it threatens to end their decades-long friendships.
When a crew of violent eco-terrorists abducts the teenage son of an energy company executive, SWAT must untangle the kidnappers’ twisted motives before carrying out a high-stakes rescue mission. Meanwhile, Hondo’s involvement in a shooting draws outrage from the very community he’s dedicated his career to protecting. And, as Deacon is called on to help with the escalating crisis, he’s forced to confront nagging doubts about his retirement.
SWAT faces their deadliest adversary yet when a violent cell of extremists looks to extract vengeance by blowing up half of Los Angeles, potentially killing thousands. Still reeling from the anger and outrage directed at him by his own community, Hondo questions if he still has what it takes to lead 20-Squad, adding to the fear that he won’t be able to pull the team together in time to save the city.
SWAT tackles a mission with personal ties for Hondo when they race to find a group of missing students and their bus driver, Hondo’s former high school football coach. Also, Hicks has reservations regarding Hondo’s new 20-Squad team addition, Devin Gamble, a cop with a family background deeply entrenched in crime.
When two students are brutally attacked, 20-Squad contends with a possible honor killing. Meanwhile, Hondo and Nichelle have their first parenting dispute while searching for a suitable daycare.