Special Operations and Training
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Captain Bobby Lambert |
The division also oversees the management of training standards and regulations for sworn & civilian personnel. In our mission to deliver excellence in public safety, our Special Operations and Training Division must maintain oversight of all agency in-service training programs related to civilian and sworn law enforcement officers.
Specialty Units
Fleet Management
The Fleet Management Department is responsible for the repairs and maintenance of CCSO’s entire fleet of vehicles and equipment used for day-to-day operations. While a large part of the department’s responsibilities includes maintenance, employees of fleet conduct repairs that occur from traffic accidents, theft, vandalism, and other mishaps.
Aviation
The primary mission of the Aviation Unit is to support our deputies on the road. Some of our primary duties are to assist with searches for missing/lost individuals, pursuits of wanted subject(s) and surveillance-type activities. The Air Unit is a force multiplier and can conduct a search in a specific area in a quarter of the time it would take ground units to search on foot. We are also called to assist other law enforcement agencies or fire services throughout the state if the need arises.
Specialty Teams
SWAT
S.W.A.T. supports all Citrus County operations by providing rapid response and enhanced capabilities to assist in keeping Citrus County resident’s safe, as well as offering services to other counties when needed. This unit is prepared at any time to deploy personnel and equipment for tactical response, to support warrant service, conduct low visibility counter-surveillance, investigations, and provide enhanced support for special events.
Bomb Team
All members of the Bomb Team are assigned to full-time duties in the agency and respond as needed. The CCSO’s Office Bomb Team responds to a variety of calls including bomb threats, suspicious packages, demolition and disposal of explosives, citizen demonstrations, drug labs, hazardous materials calls, and provides the robot for assistance on SWAT calls.
Crisis Negotiations Team
The Crisis Negotiation Team, or CNT, responds to incidents involving barricaded persons, hostage situations or critical incidents. Team members have regular duty assignments and perform this function above their regular duties. The mission of the CNT is to respond to a situation in order to negotiate a safe and reasonable conclusion. “Resolution through communication” is their motto.
DIVE
The CCSO’s DIVE team, also known as the Underwater Recovery Team, is one of the specialized units within the Special Operations Division. Citrus County is beautifully situated on the west coast of the state and has numerous rivers, lakes, and ponds, as well as numerous other man-made bodies of water within its jurisdiction. The mission of our DIVE team is the recovery of drowning victims, evidence, or anything else which would require entry into one of these bodies of water.
Sheriff’s Posse
The Posse Unit is a valuable asset to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. These volunteers participate in various Citrus County functions such as assisting local and state agencies in the upholding laws; search and rescue missions, representation at city events, and participate in various training opportunities in an effort to enhance their skills and abilities. Posse riders and their horses welcome the opportunity to represent the Sheriff’s Office whenever possible. They take time to answer questions regarding the Posse and most especially, their horses. Horses must be calm and patient, allowing strangers and especially small children, to interact with them while working. Members of this unit are volunteers who own their own horses, and they use their own equipment to care for and transport the animals when needed.
SMART
The Sheriff's Mutual Aid Response Team (S.M.A.R.T) is a specialized team deployed to respond to emergency law enforcement activities, search and rescue missions, evidence searches, and requests for mutual aid. The members of this team are highly trained and possess a variety of technical skills. This team is available to respond to mutual aid requests throughout Citrus County and the State of Florida on a twenty-four-hour basis. The goal of SMART is to swiftly and safely respond to requests for assistance and support, and coordinate the needed services in a manner that promotes the safety and security of the community.
Mobile Field Force
The Mobile Field Force provides a rapid, organized response to situations requiring a large-scale police presence. Mobile Field Force may be utilized in situations like civil disorder, riots, natural disasters, or cases where crowd control is necessary. Personnel assigned to the Mobile Field Force undergo extensive training in victim rescue, crowd control, problem area isolation, criminal apprehension, and deployment of less lethal and chemical munitions (tear gas, OC spray, etc.). They utilize a variety of protective equipment, including shields, ballistic helmets, etc.
Honor Guard
The Honor Guard Unit is a secondary duty assignment, and members are selected from varying units within the agency. Members are required to maintain the impeccable appearance, high moral standards, and strict order and discipline. The Honor Guard performs funeral honors for Sheriff's Office members killed in the line of duty, as well as for members of other law enforcement agencies when requested. The team proudly represents the Citrus County Sheriff's Office at parades, a variety of ceremonial functions and community events requiring the Presentation of Colors.
Domestic Security
The Domestic Security Department is responsible for investigating, collecting, analyzing and disseminating intelligence information concerning criminal activity, international and domestic terrorism, pawn, street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, warrants, inmate telephone monitoring, registered felons and sexual offenders/predators. The department gathers criminal intelligence information for the purpose of tracking and identifying emerging crime patterns and developing enforcement and prevention strategies.