Special Events Team
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office Special Events Team (SET) has been successfully deployed to large gatherings,
protests and disturbances since the 1960’s. As a matter of fact, SET gained national recognition during the
Vietnam protests for its innovation in formalizing procedures for mass arrests.
In 2009, SET Team entered a new chapter to its storied history. For much of its history, the Special Events Team
trained and used what was dubbed the “Madison Method”. In preparation for the 2002 US Conference of Mayors,
SET received a facelift. The team used a team structure known as the Mobile Field Force (MFF) model. Under
this model, team structures were configured in a manner that facilitated easy deployment from vehicles. The
smallest element of the MFF model was the squad element, which consisted of seven line officers and a Sergeant
that served as the Squad Leader. This structure has served the team well.
Recognizing the need to proactively anticipate and train for the emerging threats of the 21st Century, the State
of Wisconsin selected eleven officers from around the state to attend five weeks of intense training to certify
them to a Crowd Management Training Cadre (CMTC).
Following the State’s lead, in late 2008, a proposal was submitted to change the structure of the Special Events
Team to the Mini-Team Model. One of the main themes with this model is addressing the persistent problems of
communication, accountability and consistency. Under this model, the squad element still exists, but it is also
sub-divided into smaller elements known as mini-teams. A mini-team is a smaller group of four officers, with one
of them (A Non-Supervisor), acting as the Mini-Team Leader.
Organizing into four-officer elements is important during a crisis situation, because it allows them to move
into a diamond formation, which is consistent with what officers have already been trained to do during an
active shooter scenario. Given the “target rich” environment that crowd management teams work in, there are a
number of different threats that could present themselves. When a Mini-Team Leader recognizes a "rapidly
evolving threat," he/she has to act immediately by using Initiative Based Tactics, the diamond formation, to
respond. This change in structure represents a paradigm shift from how the Special Events Team has trained and
operated in the past.
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