Sheriff's Office Creates Team for Dangerous Situations at Jail, Courthouse

A new emergency response team has been created to deal with situations that could put corrections deputies or inmates in danger.

Called the Correctional Emergency Response Team, the members selected have been training together since the beginning of this year on topics such as dealing with and transporting uncooperative inmates, cell extractions, riot situations, and responding to active shooters, according to a news release from the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office.

CERT members will be called upon if a situation arises in the jail where the specialized training of CERT members is needed to ensure the safety of corrections deputies and inmates. CERT members will also respond to the Kendall County Courthouse and Kendall County Health and Human Services building if a situation arises that requires their specialized training to ensure the safety of the public and other county employees.

CERT is made up of ten corrections deputies and consists of a commander, assistant commander, two team leaders and six team members. The deputies participated in a rigorous selection process which consisted of an interview with the commander of CERT and physical agility testing in order to become members of CERT. Members of CERT will continue to perform their primary responsibilities as corrections deputies while being on call as members of CERT.

“The creation of a corrections emergency response team was one of the goals we had for the sheriff’s office. By having specially trained deputies on duty to respond rapidly to situations that require immediate attention will help maintain a safe environment for staff and prisoners. That goal was accomplished through the hard work and dedication of the men and women of this office,” said Sheriff Dwight A. Baird in the news release.

Photo courtesy of the Kendall County Sheriff's Office.