The inmates remain angry and tension in the unit is extraordinarily high.  Sparked by some unknown reason, a small fight breaks out and spreads rapidly throughout the unit.  Jones gets swept up in the action and -while trying to calm the inmates- is taken hostage.  Within moments, news of the hostage situation reaches the administration, and the alarm is sounded!

This scenario is perhaps one of the most realistic ones faced by correctional officers in today's direct supervision environment.  Even as so-called effective communication techniques abound, the fact remains that inmates are growing increasingly impetuous and combative, unwilling to comply with the rules governing the conditions of their custody, and reluctant to heed the orders of outnumbered correctional officers.  My experience has shown me that when the special programs and training aids fail, the inmates respond with violence. 

The scope and scale of violence in today's correctional environment demands that administrators form, train, equip, and deploy Special Emergency Response Teams (SERTs). With a highly trained SERT, administrators increase the options which they have immediately available to resolve prison violence of virtually any size.

The Evolution of SERTs

Yesteryears' 'goon squad' is no more.  Modern SERTs must respond to increasingly complex circumstances.  They must be flexible, highly-trained, disciplined units, ready to react to any number of situations, including, but not limited to:
*Hostage rescue, using armed and unarmed techniques;
*Close quarters riot control
*Edge weapon survival tactics.

The need for a flexible, versatile, and measured response is particularly critical in the current litigious environment.  Recognizing the constant threat of litigation demands that agencies have teams, which apply different tactics and techniques to resolve widely different situations.

Modern and future SERTs that respond to disturbances or riots must be familiar with and trained in the entire use-of-force continuum, as well as cognizant of all relevant department policies and procedures.  This is particularly true for SERTs, which operate in direct supervision facilities.

While teaching at DS facilities at federal, state, and local levels. I have found that when some aspect of the direct supervision model fails, the potential for the problem to escalate quickly is very real.  In the DS environment, correctional officers are put into situations where they can be taken hostage or otherwise become the focal point of inmates' anger and frustration.

While teaching at many institutions, I have become alarmed at the lack of knowledge regarding advanced defensive tactics.  Most of the officers I have trained at these facilities haven't had any sort of organized instruction in defensive tactics beyond what they learned at the corrections academy.  Knowing that correctional officers must think quickly in order to defuse a situation or survive an assault from one or a number of assailants, administrators must move to resolve this alarming training deficiency.

Every facility should have a highly trained SERT.  Regardless of size and composition, SERTs, with their specialized training, can quickly and efficiently contain, neutralize, and return order to a facility.  Be wary of revealing your agency's shortcoming in this area by relying on a emergency policy which simply calls in the local SWAT!

The bottom line is that while a SWAT may resolve prison violence it will do so using tactics and techniques better suited for other operations.  A SERT knows the facility in which it works and trains far better than any local SWAT.  While an emergency plan may include calling in a SWAT to supplement and support the SERT, the latter must have operational control when it comes to formulating a plan to resolve prison violence.

Mission-based training

Given rising inmate populations, strained correctional budgets, and limited jail facilities, it appears that Direct Supervision is the trend of the future.  DS facilities pose their own set of unique challenges, and SERTs must train for each possible contingency.  To quote my colleague Ray Nelson, a former correctional facility administrator and a emergency management consultant with RN and Associates, training is an essential part to the system. 'A jail that has few escapes will usually have a rustier response than a jail that experiences frequent escapes, therefore, the former must compensate for its lack of  'on-the-job training'  by placing greater emphasis on formal escape training.'   

This analogy can also be used to compare a DS jail toh a traditional, linear facility.  Because the former may have fewer problems, it may be rustier in responding in a quick, effective, and appropriate manner.  The latter usually has to deal with several diverse challenges, and as such may be better prepared to respond to crisis situations.

The majority of DS facilities where I have taught are multi-level.  Arlington County, Va.'s facility stands over 12 stories tall.  Sheriff Tom Faust, immediate past President of the American Jail Association, understood that if an emergency situation took place in his facility, he would have to respond by deploying an appropriately trained and equipped SERT.

As a result, he had his team trained in numerous facets of special emergency response tactics, including tactical repelling in the facility's elevator shaft, blueprint reading and familiarization, and special weapons tactics in the event of a hostage situation.  Sheriff Faust's focus on specific mission-based training leads me to believe that his highly-trained, part-time SERT can handle both the expected situation as well as the unexpected emergency.

Top Four SERT Questions and Answers

The growing emphasis on SERTs has sparked a tremendous amount of often -conflicting questions about logistical and operational challenges.  This list is the product of numerous training sessions and is intended to help administrators gain a better understanding of SERTs.

Q: Should a facility have a SERT?
A:  If growing populations and proliferating gang violence are any indication, my experience dictates an obvious answer: Yes.  In the very least, every facility should have personnel trained in SERT tactics.  Not all agencies have a full-time unit; some have highly-trained part-time units.  Whether part of a full or part time unit, SERT-trained personnel are invaluable aids when it comes to responding to emergency situations and containing them.  

Whether full or part time, administrators should remember that when the unit is not training together or being used, members should be carefully assigned to each shift so that in the event of an emergency, there are unit members available to assist or  (if necessary) assume on-scene tactical leadership until other unit personnel arrive.

Q: How much training time per month does a SERT require, and how much training is enough?
A: On average, after an intensive introductory 'basic training' course, I recommend anywhere between 12 and 24 hours of refresher training per month.  Naturally, with the pressure budgets place on the availability of officers' time, every moment is precious.  To those who would sacrifice training time at the budget altar, I say only that although budgets play a role in allowing a SERT time to train, you must view training time as an investment or an insurance policy.

You may never need to deploy your team, but if you do, you need to be absolutely certain that the team is fully trained, properly equipped, and armed with the skills to carry out their assigned tasks.

Some final training notes:  It is vital that initial training be conducted by a firm that has expertise and experience in the correctional special operations area.  Once this critical basic training is completed, the unit will have a good idea of their weaknesses and how to best allocate their training time to resolve those deficiencies...Be cautious of firms that try to teach you the 'only way.'  There is no only way.  The variety of crisis situations demand that your SERT acquire knowledge of numerous tactics and techniques.

Q: Should a SERT have a hostage negotiator assigned to the team as a member?
A: This question has been the subject of great debate.  Many agencies have a trained negotiator or two as team members; this has never caused an operational conflict.  I have also trained quite a few teams that don't have an attached negotiator.  Because administrators want to resolve any crisis situation with a limited amount of casualties and/or damage, they may wish to attach a negotiator to a SERT.  Whether a negotiator is attached or not, the primary objective should be to stabilize the situation using any and all available means.

Q: When a SERT unit enters into a crisis situation, does this mean the end of all talking and negotiating?
A: Again, each agency must develop its own philosophy regarding negotiation.  The bottom line is that once a SERT unit is deployed, the team leader must recognize that he or she still has the entire use of force continuum from which to choose an appropriate response.  Every situation is going to be different.  SERT decisions should be guided by two principles:  The safety of the unit members, and adherence with the administrations' policies and procedures.

The Last Word on Serts

A SERT is intimately familiar with the facility in which it trains and works.  Because of this familiarity, it is important that SERT members tailor their training to their facility.  Training should be dictated by the environment and must address the units' weaknesses.  Finally, the SERT must be supported from the top down as well as from the bottom up.  SERT members must be models of on-the-job performance and serve as examples to their peers.

The bottom line of any SERT should be 'So that other's may live.'  If you fully back your SERT not only administratively but also with comprehensive training and proper equipment, your team will quickly and professionally enforce your department'