Crawford County’s Special Response Team gets a new truck

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BUCYRUS —Sometimes it really does take a community.

A lot of cooperation between the Brinks company, several Crawford County businesses and a bunch of county departments has resulted in an outfitted truck that can be used by the county’s Special Response Team.

Even drug dealers and others convicted of crimes in Crawford County played a role in getting the SRT truck ready for service.

The Special Response Team is equipped and assigned to resolve critical incidents involving threats to the community which would otherwise exceed the capabilities of traditional law enforcement first responders. This team has been utilized in several drug investigations and is called upon whenever a high risk search warrant is executed.

One area of concern for Crawford County Sheriff Scott Kent was the ability to transport the entire team in a vehicle that provided an adequate level of protection for transporting officers.

“We were looking for a vehicle that would provide protection on calls ranging from active shooter situations to rescue missions,” the sheriff said.

The sheriff’s office got creative after the Obama Administration restricted certain armored vehicles from the 1033 program, which allowed state and local law enforcement agencies the opportunity to obtain excess federal property at little or no cost.

Detectives reached out to Brinks Inc. to see if their armored vehicles ever come up for sale. Brinks was very supportive of the idea of one of their trucks being used in law enforcement.

The Brinks motto is: “Brinks Supports First Responders” and the company was more than happy to assist the sheriff’s office and donated a 2004 International armored truck.

Deputies went to Lucas County and with the help of the Crawford County Engineer’s Office, brought the truck back to Crawford County. Replacement parts and repairs were donated by Carroll’s Truck Parts in Crestline and Flick’s Truck Service in Galion.

Special Response Team members did the prep work and the Crawford County highway garage painted the vehicle and installed the warning lights. All additional costs were paid for with mandatory drug fines and forfeited drug money.

Seeing an increase in drug availability and a number of firearms being seized during drug investigations, Kent, Galion Police Chief Brian Saterfield, Bucyrus Police Chief David Koepke and Crawford County Prosecutor Matthew Crall have formed a Special Response Team.

Each agency chooses law enforcement officers from their agency. All team members receive specialized training. The team trains together and is an available resource to all law enforcement agencies in the county. Each agency is responsible to providing adequate training and equipment for their officers.

Bucyrus City and Galion City Fire Departments also have added members to the team, allowing medics to be on scene in case of a medical emergency.

Several members on the Special Response Team are also members of METRICH, a 10-county decentralized task force in North Central Ohio. Sheriff Kent is the board chairman of METRICH. This team has been successful in combating illegal drug use in Crawford County and as a result of a county-wide collaborated effort, Crawford County has seen a decrease in other crimes that are usually associated with drug use.

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Courtesy photo The Brinks company donated a 2004 truck to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office to be used by the county’s Special Response Team. Replacement parts and repairs were donated by Carroll’s Truck Parts in Crestline and Flick’s Truck Service in Galion. Special Response Team members did the prep work and the Crawford County highway garage painted the vehicle and installed warning lights. All additional costs were paid for with drug fines and forfeited drug money.
http://www.galioninquirer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2017/08/web1_Special-Response-Truck.jpgCourtesy photo The Brinks company donated a 2004 truck to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office to be used by the county’s Special Response Team. Replacement parts and repairs were donated by Carroll’s Truck Parts in Crestline and Flick’s Truck Service in Galion. Special Response Team members did the prep work and the Crawford County highway garage painted the vehicle and installed warning lights. All additional costs were paid for with drug fines and forfeited drug money.

Staff

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