RICHLAND, Wash. - The Hanford Site is home to an elite team of patrol officers known as the Special Response Team (SRT), which just added nine new members.
The Hanford Patrol, managed by EM Richland Operations Office contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS), conducts the SRT Basic Course at the Patrol Training Academy, where officers receive some of the most advanced tactical and counterterrorism training available.
Officers who volunteer to participate in the course must first pass an extensive selection process, which includes physical performance, weapons proficiency and oral interviews. Attending the course does not guarantee a spot on the team; candidates must qualify through increasingly difficult tasks focused on close-quarters combat, breaching and de-escalation operations. Failure of any task could result in a candidate being dropped from the course.
“Officers who join the SRT are driven to succeed, have proven their capabilities and have demonstrated their commitment to protect Hanford’s assets and people," said Tim Haddick, director of security, emergency services and information management for the Hanford Site. “Knowing we have top-of-the-class protection at Hanford allows us to confidently continue to complete our security mission."
The SRT course runs nearly seven weeks, exceeding the time of typical municipal law enforcement SWAT basic courses, which last only five or six days. This results in a proficient response team that is well-versed in hostage rescue, active assailant situations, crisis response and more.
“There were no requirements or incentives for these officers to attend this demanding course," said SRT Cmdr. Maj. Justin Donica with HMIS. “Each volunteered to become a member of a team of critical-thinking professionals dedicated to the protection of Hanford."
In addition to having served with the Hanford Patrol, all nine graduates of the recent course have backgrounds with military or state law enforcement agencies.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management