The Gallatin Police Department currently participates in a county-wide Emergency Response Team. Made up of officers from several different law enforcement agencies in Sumner County, the Emergency Response Team responds in the case of serious incidents, such as hostage situations or high-risk arrest warrant service.
The Emergency Response Team was created in response to concern that law enforcement agencies in Sumner County did not have the capability to respond adequately to major incidents involving violent or dangerous activities. Several law enforcement agencies, including the Gallatin Police Department, determined that combining their resources would provide a higher level of service to all communities participating in the team. As a result, several law enforcement agencies in Sumner County work more closely because of the interaction of participants on the Emergency Response Team.
In addition to the Emergency Response Team, the Gallatin Police Department also has officers who have received specialized training in the area of hostage negotiations. Hostage negotiators frequently work with members of the Emergency Response Team when critical incidents occur, especially when suspects have barricaded themselves in a building or taken hostages. Hostage negotiators often succeed at ending a conflict without injury or loss of life merely through communicating with suspects. Each law enforcement agency that participates in the Emergency Response Team also has members who are part of the hostage negotiating team, which frequently allows hostage negotiators to set up negotiations with suspects prior to the arrival of the Emergency Response Team.
The Emergency Response Team trains frequently in order to be prepared when a critical incident occurs. Additionally, the Emergency Response Team regularly collaborates with crisis teams from other law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in an effort to learn innovative and practical ways to handle crises. From school shooting scenarios to hostage taking in banks, the Emergency Response Team has practiced to deal with and resolve such dangerous confrontations.
Overall, the Emergency Response Team has brought closer collaboration between several law enforcement agencies in Sumner County. The Gallatin Police Department continues to support and participate in the Emergency Response Team in order to provide the most professional and effective law enforcement services to the Gallatin community.