COLUMBIA, S.C. — A new state response team will soon be offering extra help and resources during emergencies. The group, from the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services had its first training session this morning.
S.O.R.T., short for Special Operations Response Team, is the newest extension of the State's Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.
Formed in June, the agency's acting director tells News 19 the need for the group stems from seeing events across the state where specialized teams are necessary and this department having ample resources and the staff to carry out the job.
"We have experienced in SC in the past the need for special response teams, agents in law enforcement who are specially trained to do crowd control, mass arrests, protests," Melvin Warren, acting director of SCDPPS said.
Department officials explain right now there are 21 members on the team who will go through tactical training until July of next year.
According to this department, all training done is with materials from their in-house instructors, and any additional training materials are sourced from other certified instructors across the state.
The 21 members are from all across the state. They'll complete their training here in Columbia, and then go back to their area of work.
"We just felt that there was a need for our agents to be better trained, so that in the event that there were situations that we needed to respond to, we could respond appropriately," Jennifer Brice, special operations director said.
Brice tells News 19 this includes training to use a taser, emergency situations and high risk situations serving warrants, adding that each new S.O.R.T. member will be evaluated yearly.
"Myself, along with our management team, will review those to make sure that the folks that we do have on the team are holding to the standards, are still physically fit and are appropriate to still be on the team," Brice said.
To join the team, Brice explains agents must apply, complete interviews, physical fitness testing and mobile field force training.
This team will also have the ability to deploy on their own determination, or by request of another partner law enforcement agency.
According to the department, the next trainings for the team will be in October and January. They'll continue on a quarterly basis.