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SHACOG Critical Incident Response Team
State of Pennsylvania - 2010 - PA Governor's Award for Local Government Excellence
Summary
Established in 1973, the South Hills Area Council of Governments (SHACOG) consists of 18 municipalities seeking cooperative solutions to regional problems. SHACOG’s Police Chiefs Advisory Committee (PCAC) focuses on mutually beneficial solutions to problems in the public safety arena. In 2007, the PCAC began planning for the establishment of a regional Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) to respond to critical or high-risk incidents that exceed the capabilities of any single municipality’s police department.
Description
Established in 1973, the South Hills Area Council of Governments (SHACOG) consists of 18 municipalities seeking cooperative solutions to regional problems. SHACOG’s Police Chiefs Advisory Committee (PCAC) focuses on mutually beneficial solutions to problems in the public safety arena. In 2007, the PCAC began planning for the establishment of a regional Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) to respond to
critical or high-risk incidents that exceed the capabilities of any single municipality’s
police department.
In the short space of two years, SHACOG communities pulled together to overcome all bureaucratic and political obstacles, and the CIRT was conceived, trained and activated. SHACOG municipalities can now rely upon the enhanced capabilities of a highly skilled police tactical unit to substantially reduce the risk of injury or death to citizens, police officers and suspects during well managed responses to complex emergencies, while sharing costs of equipment and training.
