Brandon Twp.- The house is silent, sunlight streaming through a thin curtain in the debris-strewn living room, empty of furniture.
The stillness is suddenly shattered by successive rams on the front door, which smashes open as several men in camouflage and black vests charge in with guns pointing forward, shouting, ‘Sheriff’s Office! Search warrant!?
Seconds later, one collapses to the floor and others yell, ‘Officer down!? The man is picked up by several of his comrades and carried out as others crouch, guns raised.
The house is cleared and the officers, part of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team, file out, having finished a simulated entry of a drug house, a training exercise, on this mid-December morning.
‘Training is a big part of what we do,? says Lt. Tim Atkins, SRT commander. ‘Today, we (trained for) a high-risk search warrant, where people might have weapons, or violent criminal histories. We go in and secure the house and occupants, catching them by the element of surprise…and making it safe for investigators.?
The house they used today is condemned and on property owned by the Brandon Fire Department just south of Brandon High School. The SRT takes advantage of such condemned homes when offered, as they present good opportunities for training.
Begun in the early 70s as a tactical mobile unit, which became the SWAT team, what is now known as the Special Response Team is comprised of 28 members, including four tactical medics.
SRT responds to any critical incidents that road patrol is not equipped for, including barricaded gunmen, hostage situations, high-risk search warrants and drug raids. They have also helped to protect the president when he was in Oakland County.
The Special Response Team is mostly funded by drug forfeiture money they seize, and which averages anywhere from $600,000 to $1,000,000 per year, says Sheriff Michael Bouchard. This money helps to ensure a wide array of weapons are at their disposal, including tasers, sniper weapons, and fully automated machine guns.
‘We don’t ever want our men and women outarmed by the bad guys,? says Bouchard. ‘We’ve dramatically upgraded weapons and equipment over the last eight years.?
The high-tech equipment includes ‘The Colonel,? a 10-wheel, all-wheel drive vehicle which is amphibious, with complete night vision and thermal imaging cameras and ‘The Negotiator,? which is a small, tank-like robot equipped with a camera and microphone that has the capability to go inside a home to scout a situation while being controlled by an outside team member.
The Special Response Team trains on Wednesdays and responds to between 12-20 actual situations per year.
‘The Special Response Team is like an insurance policy,? Bouchard says. ‘You hope you never need to use it, but if you do, it’s more important than you can imagine. The team members are very dedicated. They put their heart and soul into this and risk their own lives in order to be able to better protect others.?