Revealing mistake: In the beginning of the scene right before Street and Hondo are in the car talking about where they used to serve the camera shot from outside shows the car driving along the road and also a man with a blue cap and backpack looking into the camera, then quickly turning his head away. (00:25:10)
Continuity mistake: When Josh Charles and Sam Jackson are competing on the firing range, the close shots show them running with their rifles, while the one overhead shot shows them running without weapons.
Continuity mistake: Right before the team gets paged for the first time, you see one of the members having a glass of wine. After he takes a sip, you see his hand still near his mouth. The camera angle changes and his hand is no longer near his mouth. Camera angle changes again and his hand is back near his mouth.
Factual error: When Alex Montel gets into the police car and backs away really quick you see TJ get in the car and try to block him. When Alex slams into the car, there is a shot from above, where he hits TJ then TJ's car slams into another car. Then they cut to another shot and you see Alex hitting TJ and there is no 3rd car being hit.
Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the movie when S.W.A.T. gets to the bank by helicopter they are shown rappelling from it. In one shot they show them right under the landing gear and in the next shot you see them passing the landing gear again.
Continuity mistake: When Hondo and Street go to the hospital to find Chavez, and they talk to her partner and he hits the guy in the back of the head; as Hondo and Street walk off you see the officer and the Hispanic guy standing and sitting there normally.
Character mistake: The two fake cops that hit the prisoner transport bus used a suppressed Beretta 92FS and a TEC-DC9. At the press conference, Capt. Fuller says that they used AK-47s.
Continuity mistake: In the tunnels, Colin Farrell says "it's this way" and his earpiece is already in. As the angle changes, he's putting his earpiece in.
Visible crew/equipment: At the end, when asked where the team would like to go, the camera, the mount and a boom mic are all reflected in the front of the truck. (01:46:00)
Revealing mistake: During the shoot-out between Hondo and TJ near the beginning, the two of them are running towards their targets and the view is from TJ's right side. As TJ is closing on his target, his pistol jams with the slide locked back, yet he acts like he is shooting normally. The sound of gunfire is added.
Revealing mistake: As Street climbs into the back of the subway, Hondo has the light on his gun focused on into the subway car. But as he lowers his gun to climb in himself, an external light source is switched on to make it look like a flash is on him. (01:26:25)
Plot hole: When the plane is trying to land on the bridge, it hardly makes it. How do they rotate it 90 degrees? The plane wouldn't fit.
Continuity mistake: At the end of the plane proficience test, we see Hondo leaning over the counter when he says "Wow, is that a new course record?" when the camera angle changes he is now standing up straight.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where the SWAT team encounters the Lear jet on the 6th Street bridge , the limo that the SWAT team commandeered has multiple bullet holes along the driver's side. The direction of all the firepower encountered by the limo was from directly in front (the 2 parked cars and the jet). I assume the sideshots came from the "airport security" blockade at the entry to the 6th Street bridge but were edited from the final film.
Continuity mistake: When Street tells his partner that he's staying with the team, his partner walks up to him and pushes him back into the mirror above the sink. You see Street taking a few steps away from the sink and standing straight up. The camera angle changes and you now see Street sitting on the edge of the sink.
Continuity mistake: When the team is shooting long distance poker Street can be seen lifting his head up twice after he loses as the camera angle changes.
Visible crew/equipment: In the scene after the team parties, when they are walking in the parking lot, just before Colin Farrell goes on the date. They are talking to each other and the camera pans towards LL Cool J (the camera pans to where the shadows are in front of the shot), you can see the shadow of the man holding the boom mike above his head, the boom, and a camera man holding a camera, all just to the left of LL Cool J on the ground.
Other mistake: After taking their "road trip" way out in the desert and dropping Montel off at the penitentiary at the end of the movie, they are just getting back on the road and Hondo says that they will respond to the "211 in progress" at the diamond mart back in L.A. The camera shot then makes a point to show that they are out in Joshua trees miles from anywhere.
Visible crew/equipment: When Montel's men put his luggage in the car by the airport, look on the car beside the tail light. You should be able to see a crew member moving slowly in on the car. (00:23:20)
Continuity mistake: In the beginning when the SWAT team has been dropped on the roof, the helicopter also drop the ropes. From above we can see the ropes land at least ten feet away from the ventilation shaft. When it cuts to POV of one of the SWAT members we can see the rope lying right next to the shaft. (00:02:10)
Answer: The SWAT Captain originally kicked Street and Gamble off the team and out of the SWAT Division completely for disobeying orders resulting in a hostage being shot. The SWAT Lieutenant convinced the Captain to keep the two officers in the division on a probationary basis to work back towards getting back on the team. Gamble was insulted by the probationary assignment and later resigned. The Captain offered Street the chance for immediate reinstatement to the team if he placed all blame on Gamble. When Street chose the probationary assignment over blaming Gamble or resigning alongside Gamble, everyone assumed Street cut some type of deal to remain in the SWAT Division without knowing the whole story.