In 1999, the Cortez Police department recognized the need to have a well-trained and skilled tactical unit for the City of Cortez. We would like the citizens of Cortez to understand and appreciate the work and commitment that is put into this program by the officers of this department.

Mission Statement

Recognizing that the presence of a highly trained, highly skilled police tactical unit has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of injury or loss of life to citizens, police officers, and suspects; and recognizing that a well managed "team" response to critical incidents usually results in successful resolution of critical incidents, it is the intent of the Cortez Police Department SRT to provide a highly trained and skilled tactical team as a resource for the Cortez Police Department in the handling of critical incidents.

Mission

The mission of the Cortez Police Department SRT is to support the Cortez Police Department and any other requesting law enforcement agency with a tactical response to critical incidents. Critical incidents are defined as follows:

·        Hostage Situations: the holding of any person(s) against their will by an armed or potentially armed suspect.

·        Barricade Situations: the standoff created by an armed or potentially armed suspect in any location, whether fortified or not, who is refusing to comply with police demands for surrender.

·        Sniper Situations: the firing upon citizens and/or police by an armed suspect, whether stationary or mobile.

·        Apprehension: the arrest or apprehension of armed or potentially armed suspect(s) where there is the likelihood of armed resistance.

·        Warrant Service: the service of search or arrest warrants where there is a likelihood of armed suspect(s) and there is the potential of armed resistance.

·        Personal Protection: the security of special persons, such as VIP's, witnesses, or suspects based on threat or potential threat to the well being of those persons.

·        Special Assignments: any assignment, approved by the Chief of Police or SRT Commander, based upon the level of threat or the need for a special expertise.

Composition and Structure

The SRT are made up of 13 officers who have volunteered for these positions. There are certain departmental criteria that these officers must meet before they are appointed to the team. The structure of the team is as follows;     

                    One (1) Commander

Two (2) Team Leaders

Ten (10) Team Members        

Members of the SRT are issued pagers and are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Officers receive no special pay or benefits for being a member of the SRT. These men are dedicated, responsible professionals who take on more training, more work, and more risks for the safety of our community.

Training

 
Team training with U.S. Customs Blackhawk

Members of the team train monthly. Some of the areas that the training covers are:

·        Firearms:  handguns, submachine guns, shotguns, and high caliber rifle.

·        Less Lethal weapon and munitions

·        Breaching tools, forced entry equipment

·        Hostage rescue, officer down drills

·        Barricaded suspect(s)

·        Rapid deployment to crisis situations

·        Building entries and searches

·        Vehicle assaults

·        Active school shooter drill        

Team movement training at Cortez High School

 We hope that you now have a better understanding of the Cortez Police Department Specialized Response Team.