Special Teams consist of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team, Critical Incident Negotiations Team and the Civil Emergency Response Team.
The Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) was established in early 2000. The Myrtle Beach Police Department identified a continued need for a special response team to assist with critical and dangerous situations while not depleting the officers who were actively working the road. A tactical team was created to respond to barricade/hostage incidents, serve high-risk arrest and search warrants, and provide tactical support and security for special events.
The Myrtle Beach Police Department’s SWAT Team comprised of Myrtle Beach Police officers who have completed advanced training sessions in building and vehicle entries, tactical trauma care, active shooter response and high profile event security. The team trains twice monthly to continuously improve their abilities. The SWAT Team uses special tools and vehicles to respond appropriately to any incident that may arise. In addition to training together, the Myrtle Beach Police Department trains with local, state and federal agencies as responses to major events often require a multi-agency response.
The Critical Incident Negotiations Team (CINT) was also established in early 2000 and is modeled after the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit and the NYPD Hostage Negotiation Team. The team was created to respond to barricaded persons, hostage incidents, suicidal persons and persons in crisis who need a non-traditional response. The team consists of officers who have attended at least 40 hours of specialized training in crisis negotiation and utilizes specialized tools and vehicles to attempt to safely deescalate and resolve critical incidents without confrontation. The team trains monthly and works closely with our state local and federal law enforcement partners to prepare for a joint response. The Critical Incident Negotiations Team also works with our training unit to provide active listening and crisis response training to officers and support staff.
The Civil Emergency Response Team (CERT) was re-established in 2019 to respond to occurrences that require a significant police presence and extraordinary management due to their unusual nature, while at the same time allowing for rights of the public that are guaranteed by the First Amendment. These incidents may include a small gathering of people in need of police attention or incidents that are citywide in scope. These occurrences may require attention beyond normal staffing and may necessitate that personnel responding be specially trained and equipped. Duties as crowd control, victim or officer extraction and restoring the peace are among the functions of the Civil Emergency Response Teams.