Desert Regional SWAT is comprised of individual agency Special Weapons and Tactics Teams, Crisis Negotiation teams, Tactical Dispatchers and other assigned personnel from the City of Indio, Palm Springs, and Cathedral City.

The Desert Regional SWAT Team is comprised of three specialized teams: the Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT), the Tactical Dispatch Team and the Tactical Team.

The unit has been established to pool personnel and equipment resources while providing specialized support in handling critical field operations where intense negotiations and/or special tactical deployment methods beyond the capacity of field officers appear to be necessary.