Emergency Response

Emergency Response van

vehicle obtained at no cost, from the Department of Defense

History of Franklin County Sheriff's Department Emergency Response Team

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) was first instituted in 1987 under the direction of the late former Sheriff, Paul J. Bruns.  The initial ERT coincided with the opening of the Adult Detention Facility.  At that time, Franklin County had received numerous “high” risk inmates from the United States Marshall’s Office to be detained in the new facility.  The mission of ERT was to be a specialty unit that was available to respond to high-risk situations within Franklin County and also be available to respond to any situations that may occur in the Detention Facility.  Up to this time, there was not any “tactical” unit within the Sheriff’s Department.  Personnel would do the best they could with what they had at the time to remedy any “high” risk situations such as barricaded suspects, hostage takers, search warrant executions, and so forth.

Initially, members of the newly formed “team” consisted of personnel who were primarily assigned to the Detention Facility, Road Patrol, and Detective Division.  Because the Adult Detention Facility was within the corporate city limits of Union, Mo., two members of the Union Police Dept. were asked to serve as part of the team.  Initially, five members of the Sheriff’s Department participated in an extensive two-week basic SWAT training offered by the St. Louis office of the FBI. Those members returned and began a training regimen for all of the members.  From its inception, the ERT has remained a volunteer group, without extra compensation type of operation.  We have recently, implemented a system of overtime compensation for members during actual “call-outs”.

One of the first obstacles encountered was the lack of specialty equipment, both for individual team members and the team as a whole.  Members purchased many pieces of personal equipment and we manufactured and obtained through military surplus channels various other items.  It was soon learned that possession of equipment did not “make” a team.  As the team trained together and learned together it became evident that acting, thinking, and relying on each other were far more important! 

Over the years the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department’s ERT has become very well equipped with specialty vehicles; weapons; tactical helmets and vests, ballistic shields; breaching tools; self-contained breathing apparatus, among other items.  The Franklin County community has assisted in the acquisition of many pieces of equipment by donating funds to purchase these items.  Many things have been acquired from funds resulting from Federal grants and drug receipt forfeitures.  Training has been accomplished “in-house” as well as from sources such as the National Tactical Officers Association and United States Army Military Police School, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.  The ERT has been a charter member of the St. Louis Regional SWAT Association, and conducts annually training together.  Members of this association include such agencies as Missouri State Highway Patrol – Troop C, St. Louis City P.D., St. Louis County P.D., St. Charles County Sheriff’s Dept., Jefferson County Sheriff’s Dept., St. Charles City P.D., Eureka P.D. just to name a few.

The Franklin County ERT has responded to a myriad of call-outs over the years - all of which had the potential of being an extremely high risk for the team members and others that were involved in the incidents.  To date, no member of the ERT has ever been seriously injured. Even though ERT members have been fired upon by armed suspects, no member has ever had to respond to and/or resolve a situation by taking the life of another.  It is our belief that this is attributed to excellent training and tactics, selecting the “right” personnel to be part of the team, and having the tools to do the job.  The ERT members train at least eight hours per month - still on their own time. 

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department is proud of all of its men and women who are willing to do their part to make Franklin County a safe place to live!

© March, 2004

By Major Mike Copeland, Chief Deputy, a charter member of the ERT and its commander from 1988 to 1999