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Eagle Times Article by Rebecca Miller, Staff Writer Special OperationsRiot prompts county jail to train new teamSunday, August 7, 2005 -- Unity, New Hampshire Sullivan County will soon have its own Corrections Emergency Response Team - CERT for short. During August, eight team members will be training with the hope of being "transport ready" by September 1, according to Department of Corrections Superintendent Scott Hagar. Sullivan County CERT will be a group of tactically trained correctional officers that assist in high risk prisoner transports, riots and disturbances, cell extractions, mass arrest, escapee apprehension and emergency evacuation, in addition to other emergencies. The team members will receive a minimum of 80 hours of training annually. Similar teams exist throughout the state, but Sullivan County is different, according to Department of Corrections Superintendent Scott Hagar. "Where Sullivan County is unique is we're actually doing armed high risk transports," he said. Cheshire County is the only other department to have an armed inmate transport team. Start-up consists for 'CERT total $10,000, Hagar said. That includes the one-time purchase of equipment, such as digital radios and pagers. The average yearly cost after that is expected to be around $5,000 or less, he added. Thirteen tried out for the volunteer team. After two days of physical fitness, written and oral testing, eight remained. Early Thursday morning at the Vermont National Guard Armory in Westminster, the team members gathered at the firing range for a day of tactical weapons training. They're scheduled to to through firearms certification on August 23 in Claremont. The test is pass or fail, Hagar said. Two paper FBI "Q" targets stand at the end of the range. A table stands under an overhang, covered with ammunition, simulated Glock 23s and other gear. Hagar begins a safety briefing , demonstrating the best way to operate the Glock. A large part of shooting tactically, he said, is learning the safety measures. Each team member straps on a holster, checking its tightness. It's important to stop the belt from shifting, Hagar told them. When the time comes to draw the weapon, it should be a smooth movement. Officer Ken Swain, team co-leader with Officer Joe Brookens, watches the first two volunteers to shoot, suit up. He spent 22 years in the Marines and four years in corrections, at Cheshire and Sullivan Counties. "It's a special team," he said. "It's out of the normal, daily routine." Not to mention, "It's the closest to the military that I'm ever going to be again," he confided. Out on the firing range, close enough to see the tiny "Q" at the center of each white silhouette, Hagar worked with the first two shooters. Each one took a few minutes to practice drawing and aiming with the simulated glocks before strapping on the real thing. At Hagar's command, "Two rounds, center mass, from the holster," each fired two shots from about three yards. "(CERT's) not a new concept," Swain said. "We didn't have a need for it before." The recent disturbance, he said, "really brought to light the need for this team." Swain referred to a riot that broke out in the maximum security tier of the Sullivan County House of Corrections about three months ago. Inmate reportedly set fire to their bedding, destroyed the toilets and sinks within their cells and threw objects at officers attempting to quell their behavior. Hagar called in off-duty corrections staff, the police departments in Claremont, Newport, Sunapee, Washington, New Hampshire State Police, and the sheriff's office for assistance. At the time, County Sheriff Mike Prozzo noted that the corrections staff handled the situation well. Hagar said he had been developing a team solely for transports when the riot occurred, but after seeing the professionalism of his staff during the riot, he decided to go a few steps further with CERT. "A year ago, I would never have proposed this in Sullivan County," Hagar said. "The (DOC) just wasn't ready to handle that type of responsibility." Having been in Sullivan County for two years, Hagar has stressed more training. It went from 30 hours to more than a 100 hours a year comfortably, he said. And it seems to be working. Officer Heather Murphy comes into CERT with two years of Sullivan County corrections experience. "I like it." she said as she watched the shooters take aim. "Its something I've always wanted to do." The teamwork is what makes the experience worthwhile, that and the firearms, she said. "(CERT) will increase the knowledge of our fellow corrections officers," she said. "It opens up new opportunities for the corrections field." Members in addition to Swain Brookens and Murphy are: Officer Bryant Brown, Officer 1st Class Pat Connors, Cpls. Dan Gokey and Sean Mellish and Sgt. Mickey Michael. |
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