Correctional Emergency Response Team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT), or Special Emergency Response Team for Correction is a team of highly trained correction officers in the United States tasked with responding to incidents, riots, cell extractions or disturbances in prisons, possibly involving uncooperative or violent inmates. CERT team members are required to be contactable and available to respond at all times. CERT is founded upon a team concept and is made up of highly motivated and experienced Correction Officers. ^[1]

Contents 1 Duties 2 Requirements 3 Notable uses 4 Notes

[edit] Duties

Possible duties of a CERT team include transport of high risk inmates, extracting uncooperative prisoners from their cells, searches and high profile security, barricaded persons, mass arrest and hostages situations.^[2] While, in the United States various details regarding CERT organisation and training requirements differ from state to state, a standard CERT team organisation is similar to that employed by the Monroe County Police Department, as shown below:

1. Team Leader "Leads". Spoken communication skills, anger de-escalation techniques

2. The Equipment/Video Member "EQV" To capture the entire response on video.

3. CERT Member "1" Lead member, first in to deal with the inmate.

4. CERT Member "2" Second team member in.

5. CERT Member "3" Minimal protective gear on to allow for maximum speed

6. CERT Member "4" Same as CERT-3.^[3]

CERT team members are outfitted with extensive protective gear, including body armour, helmet, tactical gloves and riot shield.

[edit] Requirements

While requirements also differ from state to state, the Monroe County Police Department lists the following physical requirements for CERT team members:

• Aerobic capacity - 1.5 mile run in less than 16mins. and 28sec.
• Anaerobic power - 300 meter run in less than 71sec.
• Muscular endurance - 25 push-ups 1-min. 29 sit ups 1-min.
• Power - vertical jump of at least 16 inches high.
• Muscular strength - 1 RM. bench press- (.64 ratio of 1b. pushed to body weight).
  ^[4]

[edit] Notable uses

In 1998, the Multnomah County CERT team was dispatched to the county's Juvenile Corrections Facility where, after a six-hour stand off, the CERT team was used to restrain four armed suspects that had barricaded themselves inside one of the prison office spaces. No inmates, CERT members or bystanders were harmed.

[edit] Notes