Annual Report, Year 2006 - Monroe County Sheriff's Office

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Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Annual Report - 2006 The difference in a hostage and non-hostage incident is subtle but important. A hostage is held for some substantive gain by the taker. A non-hostage incident involves a person who is being held and their status is that of a victim as may occur in a domestic dispute, burglary, or robbery. A member of the Unit must receive special training in crisis intervention, negotiation techniques, recognition of patterns and clusters of behaviors and advanced active communication skills. These skills are used with the goal of a safer more controlled resolution to a volatile incident which poses high risk to the members of the Sheriff’s Office, persons in crisis and general public at large. The Unit responds with a minimum of two trained negotiators and at least one other member assigned for additional documentation. Members of the Unit actively maintain their skills and knowledge with additional training with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which offers guidance as needed and with the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators. Monroe County is in Region Six of the State of Florida, as outlined by the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators (FAHN). FAHN Members train quarterly with SWAT and the Bomb Disposal Unit in scenario situations and spend an occasional training day at the range. The response begins with the gathering of information to build a database on the subjects involved and the current situation. Intelligence is critical to access all the possible factors and driving forces having an impact on the individual and/or the group dynamics. The situation must be contained with an outer and inner perimeter. Communications and access to the hostage taker and hostages must be limited and carefully controlled. Slowing down and controlling the situation allows the team to have influence and thus lead the subject to a peaceful resolution: the ultimate goal of hostage negotiation. Intelligence is gathered by various methods and is shared with SWAT to improve the overall response and resolution. The final phase of a negotiators task is to be the liaison between the subject and SWAT so there are no surprises for anyone as he or she surrenders and is taken into custody. The Monroe County Crisis Negotiation Unit currently has five negotiators in the Keys including one bilingual member (Spanish) and one female member: Team Leader Detective Don Dalton, Deputy Luis Blasco, Deputy Lee Cowart, Lt. Tom Brazil, Sgt. Bobby Randolph, Reserve Officer David Stark, and Reserve Officer Anngee Quinones. They are available day or night, at any time. Most of these members have over twenty years experience as Law Enforcement Officers and offer that experience for the safety of the community and fellow members of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Bomb Squad The Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad is the only fully equipped explosives handling team in the Florida Keys. The Squad is made up of two certified bomb technicians, Detective Sgt. Bobby Randolph and Deputy Butch Albury, and Detective Jason Madnick, who is not yet certified as a bomb technician. Bomb Squad members respond to any calls involving found explosives, bomb threats, or suspicious packages. All members of the Squad also hold other working positions in the Sheriff’s Office and do not receive additional compensation for their presence on the Squad. New Bomb Squad truck, acquired in 2006 with Homeland Security funds. The Bomb Squad also handles the destruction of explosive devices, old outdated ammunition, flares, and other dangerous items. Citizens who have such items to dispose of should contact Sgt. Bobby Randolph at 305-292-7060 to discuss safe handling and disposal. The Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad has state of the art equipment to handle dangerous situations and has, in the past, been called upon to dismantle home made explosive devices, destroy old dynamite, clear buildings of dangerous explosives, and search buildings, boats, and other locations for possible explosives. This year the Bomb Squad has sent new Bomb Tech Jason Madnick to the F. B. I. Bomb School for six weeks, and 42 The Sheriff’s Bomb Squad at a training session.
Annual Report - 2006 Monroe County Sheriff’s Office assisted in seven hazardous waste burns saving approximately $ 50,000.00 in cost to the taxpayers. Special Weapons and Tactics: The Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team is primarily used to serve high-risk search warrants where occupants are suspected of being armed and/or dangerous. They also respond, when required, to other situations such as barricaded subjects, wanted suspects who might be armed and dangerous, and any other time they are needed. The team is comprised of Deputy Sheriff’s and Detectives who have agreed to serve the citizens of Monroe County in this high risk, high liability position at no extra cost to taxpayers. They do not receive any compensation over and above their normal salaries to perform the duties of a SWAT team member. SWAT team members have all completed at least one two week SWAT course, and they train together on a regular basis to maintain those skills and to ensure they can all work smoothly together. They are periodically required to participate in a timed military obstacle course to remain on the team, and must frequently qualify with a variety of weapons. To date, no Sheriff’s Office SWAT team member has been seriously injured or killed during the performance of their duties. The Sheriff’s SWAT team is a county wide unit answering to the Sheriff’s Special Operations Division. They frequently work with many other agencies, local, state, and federal. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2006 : The Special Weapons and Tactics Team responded to 21 calls for service for the year 2006. The 21 incidents included the execution of search and arrest warrants, buy bust operations, reverse sting operations, high profile prisoner escorts including courthouse security and barricaded subjects. In January, the team was involved in three search warrants executions. Two were in the lower Keys, and one was in the middle Keys. The warrants yielded numerous felony arrests and drug seizures. In February, March, and September the team participated in reverse drug operations in the lower Keys, specifically in the area known as “La Cuerva”. The reversal operations yielded numerous felony arrests along with drug and vehicle seizures In March, the team participated in a buy bust operation at Gilberts Marina at mile marker 107. The team was deployed The Special Weapons and Tactics team acquired a new truck in 2006 purchased using Homeland Security funds. and staged in a covert area awaiting the signal to initiate a take down of the suspect and his vehicle. The suspect vehicle arrived and a take down was initiated on the vehicle. Two suspects were taken into custody without incident. In March, the entire SWAT. team participated in a mock airplane hijacking at NAS Boca Chica airfield. The training exercise involved the FBI SWAT team from Miami, the Miami-Dade Special Response Team, NAS CRT. Team and the FBI. Hostage Rescue Team from Quantico, Va. The exercise was geared to having a multi jurisdictional response to a critical incident. The exercise lasted for approximately 17 hours. In May and August, the team responded to barricaded subject calls. On both occasions the suspects surrendered without incident. In October, the team responded to an armed, mentally ill and hearing impaired person threatening to kill herself at Bernstein Park on Stock Island. After about an hour of negotiations, she surrendered without incident. 43 The Special Weapons and Tactics Team participates in hostage training.
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Annual Report, Year 2006 - Monroe County Sheriff's Office

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