Special Interests

Bicycle Team

The Sheriff's Bike Patrol is a unit in the Patrol Division consisting of members of the Patrol Division. Each person is fully equipped with their own bicycle and riding equipment, and their patrol vehicles have special mounts to enable deputies to take the bicycle on patrol. Our goal is to provide the public and youth with a more personable outlook of the police, as well as provide extra patrols to areas of high crime during all times of day and night.

Jurisdiction

Our primary focus will be those neighborhoods, towns, and areas that fall in the jurisdiction of the Sheriff's Office, however we welcome requests to assist with community gatherings, parades, athletic events, etc.

Bike Safety

The Bike Patrol Team is available for Bike Safety programs as well as Bike Rodeos for your event or organization. Our Bike Safety program is appropriate for ages 4-12 and last 30-60 minutes. Participants will learn basic bike safety, helmet fitting, rules of the road, and other important information.

Bike Rodeo

The Bike Rodeo is a more active program that incorporates the Bike Safety program along with hands-on activities. Participants in a Bike Rodeo bring their own bicycles for real time practice in the skills that are taught. The Bike Rodeo usually last about 2 hours and requires space to ride bicycles as well as some adult supervision. For more information or to request Bike Patrol members for a Bike Safety program or Bike Rodeo, contact the Sheriff's Office

Crash Investigation Team

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Crash Investigation Team responds to all crashes involving death or serious bodily injury. The Crash Investigation Team consists of members of the Patrol and Investigations Divisions. They investigate crashes from start to finish. A representative from the team notifies family members after a fatality and meets with family members to discuss facts and answer questions from the crash. Upon concluding the investigation a presentation of the crash file is given to the Hamilton County Prosecutor for review in determining if criminal charges are appropriate.

Team Performance

In 2015, the Crash Investigation Team responded to 11 crashes involving serious or fatal injuries. Of those 11 crashes:

• 4 were deadly killing 6 people
• 12 patients sustained serious bodily injury
• 8 involved drugs or alcohol
• 2 involved a commercial motor vehicle
• 2 involved a motorcycle
• 17 people were injured
• 22 interviews were conducted
• 10 blood draws
• 6 autopsies
• Charges filed in 2 of the crashes
• Over 293 total man hours attributed to these investigations

D.A.R.E.

D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. The program is taught to 5th grade students in schools throughout the county with the Sheriff’s Office responsible for students at Hamilton Heights Elementary, Sheridan Elementary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and Saint Maria Goretti schools. The program teaches skills and gives knowledge to students to enable them to make good decisions and resist drugs and violence. Lessons provide important information on subjects to include:

• Bullying
• Confidence
• Friendship
• Harmful effects of drugs, alcohol and tobacco
• Making good decisions
• Self-esteem
• Ways to be in charge

D.A.R.E. provides tools for kids to use when faced with risky situations and enables them to be confident and say no to offers of drugs and violence. D.A.R.E. also gives kids a positive role model through their police officers who instruct the D.A.R.E.

Honor Guard
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Honor Guard represents the agency at formal ceremonies, parades, funerals, memorial services, and other events. The Honor Guard provides a highly trained, specially uniformed group of deputies to perform the particulars of these events.

K9 Teams

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office currently has three canine teams including German Shepherd “Jaeger" handled by Deputy Jon Carder; bloodhound “Maudie” handled by Deputy Neal Hoard, and Labrador Retriever “Moxy" handled by Deputy Nate Biddle. In addition to taking regular calls for service, the Canine Unit responds to calls where a canine is or may be needed including:

• Crimes in progress
• Vehicular and foot pursuits
• Burglaries
• Robberies
• Narcotic investigations
• Missing/lost persons
• Other calls where a criminal suspect has fled the scene and canine deployment is suited

Canine Service

The canines are purchased at a young age (under one year for the bloodhounds and under three years for the multi-purpose canines). The canines will stay in-service until either age or a medical condition would dictate otherwise. All of the canines reside with their respective handlers. The Sheriff's Office provides the necessary equipment to house the canine in a secure environment at the handler's residence. This assists the team with bonding, allows for constant supervision and care (including daily interaction to check for health issues, etc.), allows for a quick response when a team is requested and not on duty, and prevents the Sheriff's Office from having to kennel the canines. Upon retirement of the canine, generally the handler will apply to adopt their assigned canine from the county.

K9 Tactical Tracking Team

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office utilizes a K9 Tactical Tracking Team (TTT) to assist the handlers when there is a high risk of armed confrontation during canine deployment. The K9 Tactical Tracking Team is made up of a team commander, an assistant team commander, canine handlers, and team operators. Team operators are selected for the team from a competitive selection process.

Responsibilities

When on duty, team operators provide security for the handler during a canine track. When not on duty, team operators are used on an on-call basis and maintain a constant state of readiness. During a high-risk canine deployment, the team assists with perimeter security, handler/canine security, and apprehension techniques while utilizing advanced tactics and equipment to assist in this mission. The K9 Tactical Tracking Team trains on a regular basis and maintains physical standards for team operators.

Additionally, the K9 TTT is the agency's responding unit for clients who utilize the Project Lifesaver program. Project Lifesaver International (PLI) helps provide rapid response to save lives and reduce potential for serious injury for adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer's, Autism, Down Syndrome, dementia and other related disorders.

Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team
Hamilton County Jail Sheriff's Emergency Response Team (SERT) consists of 17 members tasked with responding to incidents, riots, cell extractions, mass searches, and disturbances within the jail possibly involving uncooperative or violent inmates. The SERT members are firearms qualified allowing the team to handle the transport of high security inmates. SERT also provides security for high profile court cases. SERT members are required to be contactable and available to respond at all times. SERT is founded upon a team concept and is made up of highly motivated and experienced Correction Officers.