EFFECTIVE DATE:



EFFECTIVE DATE: |GENERAL ORDER # 026 | |

|SUBJECT: SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM |

|ISSUED BY: |# OF PAGES: 7 |

|DISTRIBUTION: |REVIEW DATE: |

|LAST REVISED: |

|ACCREDITATION STANDARDS: |

PURPOSE: To provide departmental oversight and clarification regarding the mission of the department’s Special Response Team (SRT) and ensure accountability through the enactment of regulations governing personnel selection, training, equipment, activation and utilization of the Team.

POLICY: The police administration has recognized that the presence of a highly trained, highly skilled police tactical Team has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of injury or loss of life to citizens, police officers and suspects; and that a well managed team response to critical incidents usually results in successful resolution of such incidents. Accordingly, it is the intent of police administration to provide a highly trained and skilled tactical team as a resource for members of this department and the Burlington County Joint Tactical Team in the handling of critical incidents. Their mission will be to successfully resolve these incidents with priority given to protecting the lives of all people, to include all innocent citizens that may be affected by these incidents, the officers and officials involved in these incidents and the suspects or actors who may have initiated these incidents.

Critical Incidents Defined

A. Hostage Situation: The holding of a person(s) against their will by an armed or potentially armed suspect. Note – all reported hostage/barricade situations shall be treated from both the negotiations and tactical standpoints as if hostages are being held unless and until a positive determination is made to the contrary.

B. Barricaded Gunman Situation: The standoff created by an armed or potentially armed suspect in any location, whether fortified or not, who is refusing to comply with police demands for surrender.

C. High Risk/Sniper Situation: The firing upon citizens and/or police by an armed suspect, whether stationary or mobile.

D. Acts of Terrorism: Acts of violence or threatened violence committed by groups or an individual in order to intimidate a population or government.

E. High Risk Search/Arrest Warrants: The execution of search and/or arrest warrants where there is a high probability that the occupants of the place to be searched or the person(s) named on the arrest warrant(s) may be armed; or where it is likely that evidence will be destroyed during execution of a search warrant.

F. High Risk Armed Apprehension: The arrest or apprehension of suspects, armed or probably armed, where the likelihood of armed resistance is high.

G. Personal Protection: The security of special persons, such as witnesses, VIP’s or suspects, who by virtue of their situation may be targets of violence.

H. Special Assignments: Any assignment where there is a likelihood of violence or an armed confrontation with police.

II. Composition and Structure

A. The Police Department Special Response Team (hereinafter SRT) shall consist of officers selected by the Chief of Police. The minimum prerequisites are as follows:

1. A full-time member of the department for a minimum of three (3) years.

2. No prior serious disciplinary action.

3. Proficiency with a handgun as measured by three (3) consecutive scores of at least 90% on the handgun qualification course set forth in written directive V7C9 – Firearms.

4. Demonstrated ability to follow orders and work on a team.

5. Physical ability and fitness level to perform the rigors of the assignment as determined by the Township Physician.

6. Successful completion of the Standard Obstacle Course at Fort Dix or the SWAT team Qualifications Physical Fitness Test.

B. The SRT commander shall be a command level officer appointed by the Chief of Police who will be responsible to oversee the operation of the Team.

C. The SRT shall have a Team Leader appointed by the Chief of Police whose responsibilities shall be as follows:

1. Training and operational preparedness of the Team.

2. Functional operations commander.

3. Prepare and maintain all documentation relevant to the Team, including:

a. After action reports

b. Training reports

c. Equipment requests

d. Evaluations

4. Membership in the County Joint Tactical Team Leaders.

5. Maintain a liaison between the County Joint Tactical Team and the department’s SRT.

D. The SRT shall have an assistant Team leader appointed by the Chief of Police who will fulfill the responsibilities of the Team leader in his absence.

E. When activated for an assignment as a component of the County Joint Tactical Team, all members of the SRT shall be subordinate to the Incident Command Group and Tactical Commander until the Incident Commander determines that activation is cancelled. (See – Hostage/ Barricade and Other Critical Incidents)

1. County Joint Tactical Team activations take precedence over all other assignments within the police department.

a. Under no circumstances shall a supervisory member of the SRT leave the township if such member is the only supervisory officer on duty.

b. In such circumstances, the affected supervisor shall contact the appropriate division commander who will be responsible for authorizing and/or providing expedient relief for the supervisor.

2. If exigent circumstances exist within the township requiring a delay in the response of SRT members, the Chief of Police or ranking officer may delay the team member’s response until such time as the exigency no longer exists.

a. In such circumstances, the supervisory officer authorizing the delay shall advise central communications of the anticipated delay in the member’s response.

F. During a local operational callout, all members of the SRT will fall under the command of the Team leader or assistant Team leader and will remain under their command until the incident or assignment has come to a conclusion.

G. The SRT Commander, with input from the Team leader and assistant Team leader, shall determine the chain of command within the remainder of the SRT.

H. Critical Incident Negotiations Team (CINT) members shall be selected by the Chief of Police. The minimum prerequisites are as follows:

1. A full-time member of the department for a minimum of three (3) years.

2. No prior serious disciplinary action.

3. Demonstrated ability to follow orders and work on a team.

4. Physical ability and fitness level to perform the rigors of the assignment as determined by the Township Physician.

III. Criteria for Activation of SRT

A. The SRT shall be utilized for incidents that do not require the activation of the entire County Joint Tactical Team including, but not limited to:

1. Planning and execution of high-risk arrest or search warrants.

2. Surveillance of locations where the possibility of an armed confrontation exists.

3. Protection of dignitaries.

B. Criteria for activation of the County Joint Tactical Team is established in the County Prosecutor’s Office Directive # 2000-6 and the written directive governing– Hostage/Barricade and Other Critical Incidents.

IV. Activation Process

A. The shift commander has the authority to immediately activate the SRT for any spontaneous critical incident within the township. The activation shall follow the protocol established in the written directive governing - Hostage/Barricade and Other Critical Incidents and the County Prosecutor’s Office Directive # 2000-6.

1. For planned operations such as the execution of arrest or search warrants, the deployment of the SRT must be approved by a member of the command staff.

B. The department shall provide each member of the SRT with a telephone-activated pager for activation notifications. The individual members are responsible to maintain their pagers in a serviceable condition and arrange for repairs when needed.

C. All SRT members are required to carry the pager on their person at all times when in the local response area. If SRT members are planning to travel away from the area, they shall notify the SRT leader or assistant leader and provide the dates of their unavailability.

D. Upon activation, the SRT leader or assistant leader shall acknowledge the SRT call out by contacting the Township Police Department dispatch center. All other Team members shall acknowledge the callout by contacting the SRT leader or assistant leader by telephone or radio and then shall respond to police headquarters.

V. Selection Process

A. The Chief of Police shall appoint all members to the SRT and CINT based upon his observations and evaluation of qualified personnel who have expressed an interest and through the use of any other selection process that may be instituted.

B. The minimum prerequisites for consideration are listed in section II-A and II-E on pages 2/3.

C. Members selected for assignment to the SRT must continue to maintain acceptable standards of performance in respect to physical fitness and firearms proficiency. Failure to meet the minimum acceptable standards will result in a Team member being temporarily classified as non-deployable for a period of sixty (60) days. Failure to attain the minimum standards within those sixty (60) days will result in the member’s immediate and permanent removal from the Team.

1. If the Team member cannot attain the minimum standards as a result of an injury or illness, the sixty (60) day time period following his classification as non-deployable will not begin until the member is returned to full duty status.

2. If the Team member suffers from a prolonged injury or illness that will prevent the member from attaining the minimum standards for an indefinite period of time, and the member’s absence will have an adverse impact on the operational preparedness of the Team, the member shall be removed from the Team and replaced by a qualified candidate.

VI. Training Standards:

A. Members assigned to the County Joint Tactical Team must complete the following training:

1. Basic SWAT I training (40 hours). Said training to be sponsored by the FBI, NJSP, IACP or other recognized police training organization as approved by the Joint Tactical Team Leadership Panel. Members of the team on the effective date of this written directive are exempted from this requirement.

2. Attendance at three (3) of the four (4) county-mandated annual training sessions.

a. A team member that is absent from more than one such training session shall be suspended from the team and classified as non-deployable until such time as the SRT leader certifies that make-up training has been completed.

B. Members designated as rifle marksmen must meet the following minimum qualifications:

1. Forty (40) hours training – Rifle Marksmanship – sponsored by the FBI, NJSP, IACP or other recognized police training organization. The training must be specific to the weapons that the rifleman will utilize during actual team operations.

2. Accomplish four (4) rifle qualifications annually with a minimum of one (1) qualification per quarter (3 months). The qualification shall be consistent with the FBI Rifle Qualification Course. Annual training must include, but not be limited to, the following areas:

a. Moving targets

b. Multiple targets

c. On command (timed shooting)

3. All rifle marksmen must maintain a rifle data book for all weapons he/she is assigned or has authority to utilize. The Joint Tactical Team Leadership Panel must approve the data book, as the book will serve as an official training record.

4. The team of rifle marksmen shall be updated annually by the Tactical Team Commander and forwarded to the Joint Tactical Team Leadership Panel and the County Prosecutor.

C. The SRT will conduct a minimum of eight (8) hours of in-service training in each month where a county-mandated training exercise is not scheduled.

1. All training will be performance oriented and SRT task specific focusing on subjects related to the mission of the SRT and the Burlington County Joint Tactical Team.

2. Training programs shall include regular updates on legal issues facing the SRT and SRT operations as well as deadly force considerations.

3. The SRT leader shall be responsible for the preparation and maintenance of Team training records.

D. Members assigned to the Critical Incident Negotiations Team (CINT) must meet the following standards:

1. Forty (40) hours training sponsored by the FBI, NJSP, IACP, Naval Intelligence Service (NIS) or other recognized police training organization.

2. Eight (8) hours refresher training on an annual basis.

3. The pool of qualified negotiators shall be updated annually by the Negotiations Team Commander and shall be forwarded to Joint Tactical Team Leadership Panel and the County Prosecutor.

VII. Equipment Standards

A. The department shall equip all SRT members with the following equipment:

1. Ballistic Helmet

2. Safety glasses and goggles

3. Radio and earpieces with tactical and county channel capabilities

4. Complete coverage ballistic entry vest complete with threat level IV inserts

5. Special weapons systems approved by the Tactical Team Commander

6. Protective hoods and gloves

7. Gas mask

8. Load bearing vest or duty belt

9. Established SRT uniform

a. SRT members will utilize a utility type uniform consisting of the following:

[1.] Black BDU style uniform pants

[2.] Black BDU style uniform shirt or black tee shirt with department patch or lettering identifying the wearer as a law enforcement officer

[3.] Black military style leather boots

[4.] Black nylon utility belt with holster and gear as established by the SRT commander and Team leader

[5.] All other specialty equipment and gear as approved by the Chief of Police

B. All SRT members shall be responsible for maintaining their issued equipment and uniforms in serviceable condition.

VIII. Special Weapons and Equipment

A. Recognizing that the missions of the SRT are performed in a hazardous environment and recognizing that the safety of innocent citizens, officers and suspects is often jeopardized by these conditions, it shall be the intent of the department to supply the SRT with special weapons and equipment to minimize the risk of injury and/or death to all persons involved in the SRT operation. The department recognizes the use of such special weapons and equipment in no way implies or guarantees that injury or death will not occur during an SRT operation but that the preservation of life will be paramount in the decision to use such equipment.

1. Primary Entry Weapons: Entry shotguns and submachine guns enable Team members to acquire rapid target acquisition, enhances high levels of accuracy and provides maneuverability, reliability, stopping power and the ability to sustain fire.

2. High Caliber Rifles: e.g.: M-16, M-14, Mini 14 and Counter-sniper rifles, allow a qualified Team member to place highly accurate rounds where needed to resolve life threatening incidents.

3. Handgun: The handgun utilized by SRT members will be the department issued Glock 21 semi-automatic handgun loaded with department issued and approved ammunition. This will be the primary handgun used by SRT members.

4. Less Lethal Weapons or Ammunition: Weapons or ammunition that propel a round or device that is not normally lethal in nature. These weapons and ammunitions are designed to offer an alternative to the use of deadly force when appropriate.

5. Flash/Noise Diversionary Devices: These devices are designed to save lives and reduce the potential for shooting situations by providing a diversion for the entry of SRT members by employing a bright flash of light followed by a loud noise. The accepted device is the DEF-TEC model 25.

6. Breaching Tools: Items such as rams, pry bars and special frangible shotgun rounds are designed to force entry into a barricaded or secured area allowing the Team to make a quick and safe entry.

7. Ballistic Shields: handheld shields that protect tactical team members from hostile action with edged weapons, chemicals and firearms.

B. It will be the responsibility of the SRT leader and/or assistant leader to ensure that only SRT members who have been properly trained and/or qualified in the use of the individual special weapons and equipment are assigned to utilize the items.

IX. Weapons Access and Deployment for Patrol Officers

A. The Chief of Police has authorized SRT members to carry a tactical weapon in their vehicle during their normal tour of duty. In order to facilitate this process, SRT members are authorized to access the armory and more specifically, the tactical weapons locker.

B. Access to the armory and subsequent removal of weapons will be subject to the following procedure. Failure to strictly adhere to the procedure will subject the SRT member to possible disciplinary action and/or removal from the Team.

1. Any SRT member entering the armory must sign in on a log sheet posted on the tactical weapons locker door. The date, time, member’s name, purpose for entry, and, where applicable, the weapon removed (including serial number) will be entered on the log. The log will be subject to periodic inspection by a staff officer to ensure accuracy and compliance.

2. Only one (1) weapon, i.e., SMG or M-16, may be removed from the tactical weapons locker per SRT member. In the case of a SRT call out, tactical weapons may be removed as deemed necessary and secured in the SRT van in accordance with the current practice.

3. Any member removing a weapon from the locker for use on his tour of duty must be qualified with the type of weapon retrieved.

4. The weapon will be removed from the locker, armory and building in a safe condition, that is, unloaded with the magazine removed. The SRT member transporting the weapon shall carry a full magazine outside the weapon until authorized to place the weapon into service for an incident.

5. The weapon shall be properly secured in a police vehicle. This would be in the trunk of any sedan or the rear cargo area of an SUV. It will be the responsibility of the SRT member to insure that the weapon is not accessible to anyone other than the SRT member and the weapon remains unloaded until the determination is made to employment the weapon for a particular incident.

6. In the event the vehicle has to be left running at the scene of a police incident and will be unattended for a period of time, the SRT member must ensure the vehicle remains locked whenever the SRT member is not in immediate proximity.

7. The determination to employ special weapons at patrol related incidents where there is no immediate life threatening situation encountered shall be made by the shift commander.

8. Weapons returned to the building, armory and tactical weapons lockers must be transported in the same condition as when they were removed, i.e., unloaded with the magazine separate from the weapon.

X. Operational Planning

A. The SRT will utilize a written planning process for all operations that are proactive or anticipatory in nature, such as raids. The written process will include a format that will document the mission of the operation, how the operation is to be conducted, commanded and controlled; and the communications and support services required. All operational plans shall be maintained in the file along with the “After Action Report”.

XI. Reimbursement of Tactical Teams

A. Upon activation for an assignment with the County Joint Tactical Team in response to a critical incident, the department is eligible for reimbursement for the monies expended for overtime payment to the participating team members from this department.

1. The SRT Commander is responsible for submitting a list of all SRT members and CINT members that respond to such activations and the hours of overtime compensation paid to these members.

2. The list must be compiled and submitted to the Administrative Analyst for processing within 3 business days for the date of activation.

3. The Administrative Analyst is responsible for completing the Request for Overtime Reimbursement form designated by the County Prosecutor and forwarding said request to the Forfeiture Team of the prosecutor’s officer within fifteen (15) days of the incident.

a. The Chief of Police must sign the request for overtime reimbursement and a copy of the individual overtime request forms completed by the team members must be attached.

4. In the event that the Overtime Reimbursement Fund established by Burlington County has been exhausted or contains insufficient funds, the responsibility for payment of the overtime costs incurred by the department shall rest with the municipality requesting the services of the County Joint Tactical Team.

-----------------------

Standard

33.6.2

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download