May 30, 2003

Lansing - The Michigan State Police hosted a press conference today where a new partnership between the Michigan State Police and the Michigan National Guard was announced. The partnership, which is the first of its kind in the nation, teams the State Police’s Bomb Squad and the National Guard’s 51^st Civil Support Team for responding to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) events.

Should a WMD event happen in Michigan, the teams would coordinate their response by having the 51^st Civil Support Team conduct chemical, biological or nuclear testing to determine the threat, and the Bomb Squad then rendering safe the device and beginning recovery efforts.

"The teaming together of these functions is essential for better protecting our citizens and first responders," stated Colonel Tadarial J. Sturdivant, Director of the Michigan State Police. "This is a great example of cooperation and resource sharing that really benefits the citizens of Michigan."

Both teams stand to gain from this partnership as they each lend different resources to WMD response. For instance, the 51^st Civil Support Team has over $5 million of equipment, which includes a mobile analytical laboratory with the ability to identify over 15,000 compounds, a mobile communications section, a decontamination truck for first responders and a command vehicle. The MSP Bomb Squad has robots that can be used by both the Bomb Squad and the 51^st Civil Support Team to conduct procedures remotely, which increases safety for team members.

"Prior to this partnership, we had the ability to go to an incident and determine whether the device was chemical, biological or nuclear, but after that, our assistance was limited," stated Major Clark D. Hinga, Assistant Commander of the 51^st Civil Support Team. "Now we can go in and tell you what you’re dealing with, and then the Bomb Squad can render safe the device. It’s a much more complete response."

The State Police also lend another resource to this partnership, that of the Emergency Support (ES) Team. The State Police’s ES Team, commonly known as a SWAT team, is a highly trained and specialized team that can respond to any tactical threat that may be encountered at a WMD incident, such as an armed combatant. The ES Team’s role is to provide tactical support and scene security for the Bomb Squad and 51^st Civil Support Team.

There are other benefits to this partnership as well. The teams have begun to coordinate training by including each other in seminars. They have also started cross-training each other in their specific areas of expertise.

Full-time personnel who continuously train for these types of events staff these teams. The 51^st Civil Support Team, Bomb Squad and ES Team do not charge local communities for their services.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Inspector Michael Burritt, assistant commander, Forensic Science Division, (517) 322-6156

Major Clark D. Hinga, deputy commander, 51^st Civil Support Team, (269) 731-3532

Read more press releases from the Michigan State Police.