By Rob Ginter - Staff Writer
CNHI
September 7, 2010 —
The Morehead Police Department’s Special Response Team (SRT) met for their monthly training last month. The SRT is a specialized taskforce trained to serve high risk warrants and deal with situations that normal patrol units would not be equipped to handle, according to SRT Commander Sergeant Derrick Blevins.
According to Blevins, the SRT deals with issues pertaining to hostage situations, serving high risk warrants and if perpetrators barricade themselves in a residence.
“We have a few different tools that the patrol units don’t have, like the flash bangs, for instance,” Blevins said. “That’s something that you have to have extra training with and is only required in certain situations. We wear a little different protective type gear, ballistic helmets and gas masks.”
As the team gets bigger they’re going to get into the less lethal type methods such as beanbag rounds and CS gas (tear gas), Blevins said.
“If we have someone barricaded in a house, we want them to come to us,” Blevins said. “We don’t have to go in and look for them. We may have to if the situation turns to that, but if we put some gas in there maybe they’ll come outside. It’s a whole lot safer for our officers and the public.”
According to Blevins, the SRT serves for both crime response and prevention.
“It makes the community safer,” he said. “It also serves as a little bit of a deterrent if people know that you have a group of guys that are equipped and trained to respond if you do something wrong we’re going to come get you, as far as arrest you and things like that. If people know that it’s a little bit of a deterrent and that just makes the whole community safer.”
The SRT has been utilized three times so far in 2010 and Blevins said the use for the team is increasing.
“In the past it’s been hit and miss but it’s increasing more and more every day,” Blevins said. “Especially with the amount of prescription drugs that have come into the area with that comes more thefts and more gun-related crime. It’s increasing more and more every day. It’s something that’s going to be utilized more in the future with more call outs and serving more high risk warrants, it’s just the way society’s going.”
“We like the benefit of the SRT and we would like to see it grow with equipment, manpower and training opportunities,” Captain David Sexton said.
The eight-member SRT squad has been in existence for five years, Blevins said.
