Sheriff’s SWAT Team Earns State Accreditation

 

Sheriff Thomas J. Dougherty is proud to announce the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team earning New York State Accreditation status.

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services is the oversight and certifying agency for the State of New York SWAT Team Certification. The Standards, which were approved by the
Municipal Police Training Council on December 1, 2010, have only been achieved by only six other Sheriff’s Offices since that time.  In total, there are only 27 police agencies in New York State that have achieved and maintained this certification including the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office. The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office is accredited in five other areas to include Civil, Jail, Court Security, Law Enforcement and the PublicSafety Answering Point. The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office is now one of only two Sheriff’s Offices in New York State that is accredited in these six areas.

An additional uniqueness to this accomplishment is that the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office is one of only two SWAT teams in the state made up of a hybrid team of Deputy Sheriffs assigned to both the Police Services Bureau and the Correctional Services Bureau. It is the only team in the state that has achieved accreditation certification as such with the makeup of tactical members across multiple divisions on both the police side and corrections side.  This highly sought after and difficult achievement is obtained by meeting multiple standards covering
training, equipment and written directives. The standards require staffing minimums as well as training that is approved by the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) taught by Municipal
Police Training Council certified instructors. Additionally, the team must possess and maintain specific tactical equipment. The goal of meeting these standards is to provide the Sheriff’s Office with the means to respond to the needs of our community during high risk situations. SWAT Team certification provides confidence in the capabilities and preparedness of the tactical team.
The Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team is made up of several members filling many specialty roles.

Sixteen of the team members are certified as a Basic SWAT Operators and each Operator has additional duties and certifications to include sniper/observer, breacher, less lethal operator, distraction device, tactical emergency casualty care and more.  “The certification of our SWAT Team as a state accredited tactical team was a long term team goal that took years to accomplish but has been worth the time and energy,” stated Sheriff Dougherty.

“Accredited teams are not just picked out of a lottery system but instead require standardized policy, training and requirements which is why so few are state accredited. Accreditation bolsters confidence throughout our Office and throughout the communities we serve. I commend the entire SWAT team on this great accomplishment and give special recognition to Chief Deputy Jason Yasso who is the Command Staff administrator to the team, former SWAT Commander Michael Williams, and current SWAT Commander Scott Patterson.”

Pictured L-R (front): Captain Michael Williams – Operator and past Team Commander, Deputy Gordy Truax – Operator, Captain Ryan Swanson – Operator, Deputy Mitchell McGee – Operator, Chief Deputy Aaron Galvin – Operator and Sniper Team Leader, Deputy Menzo Peck – Operator and Sniper/Observer, Deputy Becky Kane – Operator, Deputy Laszlo Babocsi – Operator, Sergeant James Merrick – Operator and Sniper/Observer, Sergeant Scott Patterson – Operator and Team Commander, (back) Deputy Michael Phillips – Operator, Breacher and Team Leader, Deputy Bryan Mann – Operator and Sniper/Observer, Deputy Rick Gage – Medic, Corporal Randy Newton – Operator, Senior Dispatcher Matt Snyder – Medic, Deputy Jeff Faugh – Medic, Corporal Zachary Scott – Operator and Breacher, Investigator Matt Orman – Operator and Assistant Team Commander, Deputy Michael Wade – Operator and Team Leader.