Correctional Emergency Response Team

Prison Tactical Team (riot control)

A Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT), Special Emergency Response Team for Correction (SERT), or Special Operation Response Team (SORT) is a team of highly trained corrections officers in the United States tasked with responding to incidents, riots, cell extractions, mass searches, 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.

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, Riots, mass arrest, high risk/high profile transport and hostages situations. While, in the United States various details regarding CERT organization and training requirements differ from state to state, a standard CERT team organization 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.^[1]

CERT team members are outfitted with extensive gear, including body armor, helmet, tactical gloves, Batons, Handcuffs, riot shield and firearms.

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).^[1]

See also

• Initial Reaction Force

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Monroe County Sheriffs Office What is a CERT Team retrieved on February 02 2009