ABSTRACT
This chapter describes critical incident deployment and their categories. The US Department of Homeland Security has recommended that all police agencies use the Incident Command System (ICS) model for responding to any critical incident, regardless of the size and scope. One important feature of critical incident management is the debriefing process. Debriefing allows for mistakes to be identified and corrected for future critical incident deployments, and to identify and treat stress problems that may surface with emergency responders. The area of critical incident deployment that receives the most media attention is the use of SWAT or tactical teams. The National Tactical Officers Association has established guidelines for local law enforcement agencies to use when considering creation of a tactical team. These guidelines point to the need for proper planning, written policies and procedures and the judicial use of force in critical incident responses.
