XSWAT remains Angelus's first line of defense against threats to the city both supernatural and technological. Due to Director Renuka's guiding hand, more and more spellcasters have entered the force in all departments, from field work to forensic sorcery. She's also worked hard to green-light the Armed Spinner program, placing weapons on the XSWAT officers’ transport vehicle in order to provide heavier firepower when necessary.
Budget cuts have limited the organization's ability to stay current with the changing tides of technology. More and more officers rely upon slug throwers, saving masers for emergency use. Most of the second-generation masers are kept in the XSWAT armories for more difficult assignments or are placed with officers who have the highest scores on the firing range. Most of the XSWAT power armor has been locked down to save money on maintenance and repairs, the Blue Steel series only rarely seen on the streets anymore.
Corruption is also a problem with XSWAT in 2123. The Yakuza have been particularly successful with a combination of bribery, blackmail, hostage-taking or outright magical curses to keep officers from investigating some things too closely. Internal Affairs struggles against the tide, but is hampered by the widespread nature of the problem and their own stained honor from the past. Few officers trust IA and other city agencies are reluctant to work with them.
XSWAT is one of the city's best examples of inclusion, numbering both Clades and Humans, Espers and spellcasters among their ranks. Entity reports have dwindled over the years, but as time goes by, a strange form of Darwinism seems to be taking place. The remaining Entities are the most cunning and dangerous of their breed. In addition, the relative rarity of Entity encounters means that many officers are caught off guard, expecting nothing more than a Yakuza mahatsukai (sorcerer). Thus, Entity encounters are statistically MORE dangerous now than they were a decade ago. Fortunately, the open nature of the Entities and growing knowledge about their capabilities and powers means that many more wounded Officers are surviving and recovering much better than before.
Due to the rise of magic over the last decade, the majority of XSWAT calls involve spellcasters or spirits. Most of these assignments turn out to be nothing more than a miscast spell or an accidental summoning, but there is no doubt that unlicensed and dangerous use of magic is a growing concern. It is not uncommon for many XSWAT officers to go out on the street armed with silver bullets, pure salt crystals, a Native American spirit charm, or holy water in addition to his service maser and clamshell armor.
Michael’s Addendum: As of 2132, there’s less corruption and far less yakuza influence. Second and third-generation masers are general issue, although many officers opt for kinetic-projectile weapons for various reason. Body armor is slightly better due to improved manufacturing techniques and EXO Suits are seen with more frequency. In addition, there is a program testing APEX Suits, since they’re smaller, cheaper, and almost (emphasis on ‘almost’) as durable as the larger EXO Suits.
On the flip side, no one likes IA, and while the yakuza are fairly low-key (they prefer to manipulate corporations these days), tongs, triads, the Italian mafia, the Russian mafia, and other organized crime groups have been more than happy to step in and take up the slack.