To return to the Northeast Fish & Wildlife Conference website, go to: http://www.neafwa.org/conference.html. The following schedule and room names are subject to change (as of April 3, 2017). Please check back for updates. Session titles marked with an asterisk (*) have student presenters.
AUTHORS: Sgt. Brent Trautman, Maryland Natural Resources Police, Special Operations
ABSTRACT: Historically, Maryland’s Search and Rescue system relied primarily on volunteer search and rescue teams. While financially this was a cost effective alternative to using police officers on search operations, it had an unintended consequence that created inequity in the quality of services provided due to a lack of standardization. It also prevented law enforcement agencies from developing strategies to address searches that involved searches for armed and dangerous individuals. In 2001, in response to the agencies involvement in a regional “man-hunt” for a dangerous subject that was poorly managed and executed, the Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Rangers developed a tactical team specially trained in searching for armed subjects in woodland environments. That role was expanded in 2005 following an agency merger between the Maryland Rangers and the Natural Resources Police (NRP). NRP expanded on the existing skills to search for dangerous subjects to include the management of all missing persons on Public Lands. NRP partnered with the Maryland State Police to develop standards for Non-Government Search and Rescue Organizations (volunteer teams), and began educating our partner agencies in the necessity of law enforcement agencies properly managing search incidents. As a result of these low, to no-cost initiatives the NRP saw a remarkable increase in not only the core competencies of our volunteer search and rescue partner organizations, but also an increased sense of commodore and cooperation between these once very comparative teams. Through the educational effort, allied agencies started developing more capabilities to manage missing person incidents in-house and better understood how and when to utilize search management resources from allied agencies when the incident exceeded their capacity. Developing this process enabled the agency to develop court defendable strategies for managing search missions while increasing the capabilities to effectively manage searches for dangerous subjects. As a result of focusing resources on the development of SAR Standards, providing training, and developing a well-equipped Tactical Response Team, NRP has not only become a valuable asset in both woodland tactical operations, and search operations, but the agency prepares their officers to handle these sometimes very challenging missions. To date NRP has been involved with a number of high profile search incidents and tactical operations which has resulted in the rescue of distressed individuals or the capture of dangerous subjects. Historically, Maryland’s Search and Rescue system relied primarily on volunteer search and rescue teams. While financially this was a cost effective alternative to using police officers on search operations, it had an unintended consequence that created inequity in the quality of services provided due to a lack of standardization. It also prevented law enforcement agencies from developing strategies to address searches that involved searches for armed and dangerous individuals. In 2001, in response to the agencies involvement in a regional “man-hunt” for a dangerous subject that was poorly managed and executed, the Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Rangers developed a tactical team specially trained in searching for armed subjects in woodland environments. That role was expanded in 2005 following an agency merger between the Maryland Rangers and the Natural Resources Police (NRP). NRP expanded on the existing skills to search for dangerous subjects to include the management of all missing persons on Public Lands. NRP partnered with the Maryland State Police to develop standards for Non-Government Search and Rescue Organizations (volunteer teams), and began educating our partner agencies in the necessity of law enforcement agencies properly managing search incidents. As a result of these low, to no-cost initiatives the NRP saw a remarkable increase in not only the core competencies of our volunteer search and rescue partner organizations, but also an increased sense of commodore and cooperation between these once very comparative teams. Through the educational effort, allied agencies started developing more capabilities to manage missing person incidents in-house and better understood how and when to utilize search management resources from allied agencies when the incident exceeded their capacity. Developing this process enabled the agency to develop court defendable strategies for managing search missions while increasing the capabilities to effectively manage searches for dangerous subjects. As a result of focusing resources on the development of SAR Standards, providing training, and developing a well-equipped Tactical Response Team, NRP has not only become a valuable asset in both woodland tactical operations, and search operations, but the agency prepares their officers to handle these sometimes very challenging missions. To date NRP has been involved with a number of high profile search incidents and tactical operations which has resulted in the rescue of distressed individuals or the capture of dangerous subjects.
