The mission of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) Unit is to create a stronger, safer, and more secure county by working with the community and citizens we serve as well as our regional, state, and federal partners to protect against the ever-evolving threats facing the region.

The HSEM Unit is the county’s primary local resource to guard against threats and to help build a resilient community. The HSEM Unit is aligned with and contributes directly to the mission of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to safeguard the homeland and keep the American people safe. 

The HSEM Unit is based upon the guiding principal that that local law enforcement is uniquely positioned to confront violence in the communities they serve in collaboration with regional, state, and federal partners.

The HSEM Unit is divided into three groups: the Counterterrorism Information Center, the Technical Response Group, and the Emergency Services Group:

The Counterterrorism Information Center (CIC) is a regional intelligence and information collection, management and dissemination center designed to support first responders at the local, state and federal levels.

The information and intelligence disseminated from the center supports day-to-day counterterrorism investigations and aids law enforcement efforts to prevent crime in their communities.

The CIC also serves as a 24/7 watch desk that provides situational awareness to regional decision makers on incidents and events occurring not only in the immediate region, but around the world.

Detectives housed within the CIC are tasked with counterterrorism investigations initiated at either the local, state or federal level. Information obtained by SCSO Counterterrorism Officers (CTOs) from day-to-day interactions or calls for service is fed back to the CIC for analysis and investigation if warranted. Investigations are also initiated through Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) from both trained first responders and through our community terrorism liaison program and SHIELD Initiative.

The Technical Response Group (TRG) is made up of subject matter experts in the fields of Weapons of Mass Destruction; Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive countermeasures; and Incident Response. The TRG also includes Explosive Detection K9’s, staffing of the Mobile Command Center and Emergency Operations Center, and specialized equipment and trained personnel in Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) countermeasures.

The TRG serves as the primary planning and management group for incidents or events related to homeland security and emergency management within Stafford County to include special events, Continuity of Operations, emergency operations, and incident management. The TRG also designs and implements regional and local training in these areas to include exercises and department-specific training.

The Emergency Services Group (ESG) is responsible for all counterterrorism (CT) Initiatives within Stafford County. These initiatives are designed to prevent and deter criminal and or terror acts within Stafford County and the region as a whole.

Along with designing and implementing CT initiatives, the ESG responds to all major incidents within Stafford County and the region, working closely with the Technical Response Group to mitigate incidents to include being tasked with critical infrastructure protection, site surveys and spontaneous tests of critical infrastructure protection measures within Stafford County.

In order to bolster community awareness of the HSEM Unit purpose and mission, the ESG has implemented a robust community outreach and education program that provides resources, training and educational tools. This allows the public to play an integral role in preventing and responding to threats in their own communities.