St. Clair Shores

Shores to join Metro Macomb SWAT

By Kristyne E. Demske
C & G Staff Writer

St. Clair Shores will join with six other Macomb County communities to work together in the case of terrorism or other public crisis situations.

In a measure approved unanimously by City Council Feb. 19, the city’s emergency response team will join with the other teams from the cities of Center Line, Eastpointe, Roseville, Sterling Heights, Warren and Clinton Township, in the establishment of the Metro Macomb SWAT anti-terrorist group.

St. Clair Shores Police Lt. Steve Lambert, commander of the 16-person St. Clair Shores Police Department Emergency Response Team, said the Macomb SWAT team would be for “high-pressure situations that would require additional manpower or equipment that we may or may not possess.”

“It opens our capabilities much wider,” he said, allowing for the possibility of backup during a prolonged situation, such as a school shooting or terrorist activity. “This would give us the resources of Warren, Sterling Heights, Roseville and the other cities. They have manpower that would help supplement us.”

Although the mutual-aid agreement is a 10-year contract, City Attorney Robert Ihrie said that any community could withdraw from the agreement in 30 days with written notice for any reason.

Lambert said any other community wanting to join the team in the future would have to bring its own team of trained personnel to the table, as well.

“We’re not going to be handling other cities’ high-crisis situations for them,” he said. “We will reciprocate. It’s a mutual-aid agreement.”

He said the communities would also be sharing specialized equipment so that not every municipality has to duplicate what another member has to be prepared for crisis situations.

“I think this is a great thing; this makes our police force stronger,” said Councilman Ron Frederick.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Kristyne E. Demske at kdemske@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1041.