June 8th, 2007
to June 21st, 2007
Punjabi Patrika`
M.I.E.R.T. - Making our Communities Safer
As police department deal with more
dangerous and sophisticated calls on the
streets a combined approach was needed
to combat crime. In 2004, four municipal
police agencies put together a regional
Municipal Integrated Emergency
Response Team (MIERT) to make our
communities safer. The municipal police
departments of Abbotsford, New
Westminster, Delta and Port Moody have
all contributed members to the 22-member
tactical unit. Currently there are 9
members from the Abbotsford Police
Department including Acting Staff
Sergeant David Schmirler who overlooks
the unit. The MIERT model has proven
to be successful in its response to priority
calls from the previous model where
departments had their own Emergency
Response Teams. As soon as members
are paged MIERT can be in any of these
four communities within the hour 24/7.
Schmirler said, " all of the members are
on a group pager network that is used to
activate them for a call but also to provide
narrative updates while they are
responding to the call. It speeds up the
deployment process". Cst. Desi Sansalone
who has been an ERT member since 1998
when Abbotsford had its own tactical
team agrees this approach of regionalizing
between departments is working
effectively. Sansalone said, " what has
increased because of integration is the
ability to provide rapid response to these
communities."MIERT are usually called
out when there is an execution of a highrisk
search warrant where the level of
threat is beyond the capacity of the
average patrol officer on the streets.
MIERT deal with barricade situations,
hostage situations, high-risk vehicle stops,
high angle operations and marine
interdictions all which involve a high
degree of expertise.
Being on MIERT is physically challenging
and members have to be fit and prepared
for almost anything that may happen in
seconds in a crisis situation. Members
must have at least three years of service
with their police department and be a first
class constable before applying to the
team. If selected they go through a fourweek
basic course preparing them for the
unexpected. MIERT members workout
almost everyday and get tested physically
twice a year. The team trains twice a
month practicing various scenarios. I
recall once being a bad guy for a day
during an ERT training exercise a few
years ago. I almost had a heart attack
when one of the concussion grenades
came flying though the window. The
element of surprise is often used in tactical
work to hopefully defuse the situation.
Tactical members are there to protect your
safety and the safety of the individual their
trying to apprehend. I've watched Dallas
Swat on television and seen footage of
the 1997 North Hollywood bank robbery
in Los Angles it not all about glamour.
Tactical work is unpredictable and
dangerous and seconds are a lifetime.
MIERT have an average of 60-70 calls a
year with numerous operation support
deployments like uniformed police
members and police dogs who often assist
them if needed. "They are months when
it is very busy and they are times when it
is quite," said Sansalone. Anywhere from
12 to all 22 members may attend a call
depending on the seriousness of the call.
The last call for the team was in the
Abbotsford. Sansalone recalls one of the
more challenging call he has received as
a tactical member was the search for
Graham McMynn who was being held
hostage last year. Several ERT units
worked together and raided houses
throughout the lower mainland finding
McMynn alive in the process.
With the amalgamation of four different
departments the resources and tools that
are available for MIERT is much greater
adding to their crime fighting capabilities.
Cst Sansalone who enjoys being on
MIERT says it has been a rewarding and
challenging experience for him personally.
Sansalone said, " I like the type of work
and we are getting trained at a high level.
I like the high-risk calls we respond to. I
like to provide a safe work environment
for the general police members and
community as a whole."
The last ERT member who was killed in the line of duty
was Sgt. Larry Young from the Vancouver
Police Department in 1987 during a drug
raid. MIERT provides a valuable service
in protecting and serving our communities
in dangerous situations.
KenHerar@gmail.com
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