Consortium provides mutual aid for law enforcement
By Kellen Olshefski
Staff Writer
The City of Elkhorn Common Council voted at its Monday night meeting in favor of a resolution entering the City of Elkhorn Police Department into a mutual aid agreement.
SMART – Suburban Mutual Assistance Response Teams – is a program allowing law enforcement agencies to request assistance from multiple agencies at once, receiving up to 40 additional officers.
Prevalent in Waukesha and Milwaukee counties, SMART was among topics of conversation at a two-day Advanced Concepts for Law Enforcement Crisis Management training session in Pewaukee this past spring, City of Elkhorn Police Chief Joel Christensen said in a report.
At Monday’s meeting, Christensen said the program is working its way south and looking to expand its territory into Walworth County. According to Christensen, there are currently 10 agencies in Walworth County, including the Sheriff’s Department, interested in participating in the program.
In his report, Christensen cited a hazardous material spill as an example of a law enforcement emergency where SMART could be of use to the city.
According to Christensen, this type of occurrence would require extra law enforcement to protect the scene, divert traffic from the incident and assist in potential evacuation. A SMART call out could be made, providing an additional five officers at each level, who could respond without leaving any agency unmanned.
He said the program would have preformatted cards for each level of a response.
“We see it as a big benefit for those times when an emergency arises to have those additional resources available right away,” he said. “It’s a benefit for everyone.”
At the cost of a $100 one-time registration fee, the City of Elkhorn would be provided with additional support during law enforcement emergencies and would provide officers to other SMART agencies in the event of a law enforcement emergency in that jurisdiction.
Under the Police Department’s Agreement to Effectuate the Mutual Aid Plan, it is made clear in the event Elkhorn is called for mutual aid it would be up to the commanding officer to determine whether or not the department is able to send available personnel and equipment. The department would not be required to send officers if those officers were needed in Elkhorn.
Alderman Scott McClory, a Sheriff’s Department captain, said he felt a program like this in the area is long overdue.
“You have a Sikh temple shooting, or you have a school shooting or a tornado or something, you press the button and everyone knows who’s supposed to come and how many people you need based on the event,” he said.
“It’s all pre-planned and you’re not spending hours upon hours calling people and waiting for responses and teletypes.”
Alderman Brian Olson agreed. He said he was surprised something like this wasn’t already in place and that it is a smart idea.
McClory raised the question of whether or not ongoing training is a part of the program.
Christensen noted that the program is tested at least quarterly. Some of them, he said, are just teletypes where the department responds within the time specified noting they received it, while others have the department actually respond.
Christensen said there are also individual work groups with the SMART board.
The council voted unanimously in favor of the resolution. Alderman James D’Alessandro was absent from Monday’s meeting.
