2008 Annual Report

The vehicle transporting the Pope in Washington, D.C.

Left to right:  Ofc. Patrick McNerney, Cpl. Gary Lewis, and Sgt. M. Fergus Sugrue in D.C. during the Pope's visit.

The Special Events Response Team (SERT) was formed in the year 2000, for the purpose of providing support to maintain security during large-scale events.  The team is made up of approximately 130 members of Montgomery County Police Department, and also includes personnel from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Gaithersburg Police, Rockville City Police, Maryland National-Capital Park Police, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, and the Montgomery County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation.

The team is provided with extensive training and equipment to deal with scheduled events, civil disturbances, and hazardous situations.  In addition, they coordinate radio communications between agencies during such events.  Members of the team attended advanced training that allowed them to assist the Metropolitan Police Department during the April 2008 visit from Pope Benedict XVI, and to assist with several Inaugural Presidential details, including the 2009 Inauguration for Barack Obama.

There are instances when SERT must supplement general law enforcement personnel to keep the public safe.  This past year, they provided added security at annual events, such as the Montogomery County Fair and the Tiger Woods AT&T Golf National Tournament.  Specialized riot gear allows the team to handle incidents of civil unrest and resistance from protestors.  They are provided with special equipment that allows them to detect hazardous materials, and devices for radiological and chemical materials.  This equipment enables them to safely and quickly decontaminate sworn officers when they have been exposed to hazardous materials, such as those present when investigating a methadone laboratory.

Membership in the Special Events Response Team is voluntary.  Members must attend minimal training, and many have attended advanced training, in addition to performing their regular duties.  Training includes how to deal with difficult protestors by deploying marching and squad techniques, wearing gas masks while handling stressful events in the presence of chemical munitions, and making arrests under challenging circumstances.

Today, law enforcement is called upon to plan for and resolve a variety of situations with varied degrees of risk.  The trained members of SERT augment the Department's capacity to manage those situations when and where a focused team approach is necessary.