Specialized Units

Special Operations
The Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit (SOU) is responsible for all aspects of security at the Barnstable County Correctional Facility including all internal investigations required for the efficient operation of a secure facility. In addition to the safety and security of all BCSO facilities, the SOU provides assistance to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies as requested.

Tactical Response Team
The mission of the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Response Team is to provide an emergency response unit able to respond to crisis situations across a broad spectrum. The team’s primary focus is to return order to the institution in the event of an inmate take-over. Secondary missions may include, but are not limited to: cell extractions, searches for contraband, high risk transportation, fugitive apprehension, high risk warrant apprehension, court room security and institutional security issues.

Hostage Negotiation and Special Response Teams
In partnership with local police departments and the Upper Cape Cod Regional - Special Response Team, the BCSO Hostage Negotiation Team and Special Response Team (SRT) respond to critical incidents and situations in and around the Cape and Islands community. The Hostage Negotiation Team coordinates with local law enforcement in the event of a hostage situation either inside BCSO facilities or in the local community. Deployed on a moment’s notice, the highly trained officers of the SRT Team are prepared to support local, state and federal agencies during the execution of search warrants, criminal apprehensions and high risk takedowns. In 2014, this specially trained team of SRT officers participated in the search and apprehension of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects.

K-9 Team
The BCSO K-9 Unit is comprised of highly trained correctional officers and their specially trained canine partners to provide K-9 services for the BCSO Special Operations Unit, the Tactical Response Team and local law enforcement agencies. Our K-9 Unit teams are trained for patrol use and narcotics detection. Each Patrol K-9 team attends a 16 week Patrol Academy during which time they learn tracking, criminal apprehension, building searches, crowd control, felony car stops, jail cell extractions, article searching, legal issues and K-9 first aid.

BCSO K-9 teams have been called upon to assist local police departments on Cape Cod for breaking and enterings, armed robberies, home invasions, warrant apprehensions, and missing children and elderly. The BCSO K-9 Unit has been responsible for many successful criminal apprehensions and convictions and has been instrumental in many search missions on the Cape. In addition, the BCSO K-9 Unit is often requested to conduct drug searches at local high schools both on and off Cape. K-9s are an important tool for law enforcement today in keeping our schools drug free.

Bike Unit
BCSO correctional officers are also in the community on two wheel bikes helping local law enforcement officers during the warmer Cape Cod months. The BCSO Bike Unit is on patrol during special events, such as the Falmouth Road Race, local street festivals and the Barnstable County Fair, lending a hand to law enforcement officers with crowd control and criminal activity. Slipping in and out of crowds, often unseen by perpetrators, the bike patrol officer is often underestimated by the criminals who prey at such events.