Book Review: The Management of Police Specialized Tactical Units, Third Edition
By Tomas C. Mijares, PhD, and Ronald M. McCarthy. Charles C. Thomas; CCThomas.com; 356 pages; $54.95.
The Management of Police Specialized Tactical Units is a comprehensive book written by two respected practitioners in the tactical response field, and it gives the security manager, director, and executive insight into the selection process, training, equipping, and deployment of police specialized units.
To support the updated fundamentals of creating and maintaining police specialized tactical units, Mijares and McCarthy use the case history approach. They selected a number of incidents to illustrate responses to incidents at government offices, business facilities, hotels, airports, logistic distribution centers, theaters, schools, religious facilities, and banks. They analyze each incident and discuss actions taken.
Security leaders who read this book will take away lessons on pre-incident joint planning, cooperation, and coordination in identifying intelligence needs; security personnel support; identification of multiple on- and offsite assembly areas; developing prepackaged blueprints with telephone/communication locations and numbers and fire and electrical control locations; entry and exit locking and unlocking control; emergency medical treatment; joint security response team walkthroughs, training, and exercises; agreed-upon incident command system actions; operation center manning and support (on- and offsite); employee evacuation procedures and assembly area locations; personnel control procedures for expediting perpetrator identity, weapons, and actions taken; and other items that would minimize employee injury and enhance quick resolution of the incident.
Although it was written for police executives, this well-documented text provides the security leader insight into what can be done to include law enforcement specialized team response requirements in his or her planning, policies, and procedures.
The Management of Police Specialized Tactical Units is not a security text. However, it is highly recommended as part of the security professional’s library. In the end, the mission is to save lives through swift, coordinated response. That mission is the bottom-line goal of both law enforcement and security professionals. Paying attention to the other side’s needs can make that happen.
Reviewer: James T. Roberts, CPP, is president of Starboard Focus Continuity Planners. Previously, he was chief security officer for U.S. Army Medical Command and a U.S. marshal, Southern District of Georgia. He served on the ASIS Professional Certification Board; chaired the Item Development Group, Law Enforcement Liaison, and Healthcare Security Communities; and has been a regional vice president and chapter chair.
