Special Response Team undergoes new training standards

Last year the Sheriff's Office formed the Special Response Team (S.R.T); a team that received advanced tactical training and practiced on responding to armed suspects, hostage situations, and serving high risk warrants. The formation of this team had one main purpose, to better protect life during life threating events.

Over the last two years deputies have responded to multiple calls involving weapons, and had one call where shots were fired at deputies when they responded to a call of an elderly person being assaulted. They arrived on scene and arrested one male who cut a women's throat (who is now serving a 17 year sentence in prison), they responded to two double homicides, and last year four deputies were assaulted, with one being sent to the hospital, while responding to domestic related calls.

These types of calls are what lead to the formation of a team that would train in the use of non-lethal weapons, have access to more protective body armor and train specifically for such events. Like anything new, the team had its setbacks and challenges. In 2014, every member of the team was able to attend the Joplin Police Department SWAT School and has continued to attend training with them ever since.

When standards for new hires were put in place, part of this process included a physical test for road and jail personnel and after the S.R.T team was created, a new standard of physical fitness was created for them as well.

Like anything we do, we have to train, practice, and then train some more! At first we set the physical standard the same as what we expected from the road deputies. But as they trained and worked as a team, we continued to raise the standard and last month we re-tested those members on the new standards.

Shooting qualifications were made a little harder with less room for error, training scenarios were made a little more stressful, and the physical testing was raised as well. The team has shown remarkable progress from where they started.

After each member completed the physical test the results were averaged out. Each team member did an average of 55 push-ups in less than one minute, 50 sit-ups in less than one minute, ran one mile in less than 8 minutes and disassembled their side arm and put it back together in 16 seconds. Their firearms training included scenarios that required them to shoot in full gear while moving from cover to cover, dragging a person (extraction under fire) to a safe location and shooting from various positions such as sitting, kneeling, laying prone, and laying on their side. There is always room for growth and room to improve, and I know they will.

Benjamin Franklin said, "Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning." I commend the members of the special response team for their efforts and achievements in what they have accomplished in a short time. The more they train, the more prepared they will be to serve our community in times of need and accomplishing what they set out to do, and that is to save lives.