Emergency Preparedness is responsible for contingency planning and training for a wide range of large scale events that our department and our community could find itself faced with. The planning and training involves many different government organizations as well as all stakeholders in the community working together to achieve the common goals of preparation, ability to respond and ability to recover.
This function of the Green Bay Police Department was established in 2015 and is part of the Operations Division which is under the supervision of Captain Matt Cain. Some of the duties of Emergency Preparedness include:
- Active Threat Response Training for Officers
- Active Threat Response Training for Civilians
- Incident Command System Training
- Civil Unrest Policy and Procedures
- ReadyOp (Emergency Management, Command & Control) Planning and Training
- Emergency Operations Center Training and Duties
- Severe Weather Planning and Preparation
- Intelligence Coordination with State and Federal Agencies
Here are some highlights of Emergency Preparedness at our department:
In 2017 the Green Bay Police Department began an emergency preparedness initiative to provide active threat training to organizations located in our city. Department personnel went out and met with community members and talked to them about a topic which is sometimes very difficult to discuss. This initiative for emergency preparedness in our community has been extremely well received. To date the department has provided training to nearly 50 organizations and nearly 2000 people in Green Bay. In 2021 the department will increase its efforts to engage the community, adding more instructors to teach civilian organizations with a nationally recognized training program called C.R.A.S.E. (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events). In addition to this the department will increase its efforts to reach out to organizations in Green Bay to assist them with their emergency planning operations through the department’s ReadyOp (Emergency Management, Command & Control) Planning and Training.
In April 2018 Detective Kevin Kempf and Specialist Jon Nejedlo were assigned to Emergency Preparedness and began working over the next year in conjunction with the Green Bay Metro Fire Department to better prepare department personnel to respond effectively and efficiently to a mass casualty incident. During their assignment to Emergency Preparedness, they successfully trained over 200 personnel in the Incident Command System (ICS), Rescue Task Force and Tactical Emergency Casualty Care. The focus on this training continues as ALERT (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training) instructors for our department train officers and work in conjunction with the Green Bay Metro Fire Department as well as other law enforcement agencies in our area.
In 2020, the Green Bay Police Department Emergency Preparedness team was faced with unprecedented rioting and protest events in downtown Green Bay. The team coordinated with the State for National Guard assistance and regionally for additional law enforcement support. The knowledge gained from these incidents have led to additional department training and equipping. While the Green Bay Police Department has always respected and helped to facilitate the right to peacefully assemble and protest, we stand prepared to protect life and property if and when that right is abused, the line is crossed and criminal behavior is exhibited.
The Green Bay Police Department is dedicated to ensuring Green Bay residents and our department personnel are prepared for any challenges we may face together in the future. Through this partnership and sharing of knowledge we are able to establish trust and maintain a safe and strong community. If you have any questions about emergency preparedness or inquiries about training please feel free to contact the following Green Bay Police Department personnel:
Captain Matt Cain – matt.cain@greenbaywi.gov
Lieutenant Jeff Engelbrecht – jeff.engelbrecht@greenbaywi.gov
