O’Brien County, Iowa — The O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office has joined a multi-jurisdictional HEAT team, following approval by the O’Brien County Board of Supervisors.
HEAT stands for High risk Entry and Arrest Team. The multi-jurisdictional team is comprised of law enforcement officers from 29 member departments throughout northwest Iowa and southern Minnesota. Membership to the HEAT team is by invitation and HEAT Board of Directors approval.
O’Brien County Deputy Dan Bracy has been invited to join the HEAT team. Bracy has been an O’Brien County Deputy since 2017, prior to that time he spent 8 years as a Corrections Officer at the O’Brien County Jail. His HEAT Team membership will be in addition to his regular duties as an O’Brien County Deputy.
Bracy will serve in a probationary capacity to the HEAT team for one year, after which their Board of Directors will vote on his membership. His specialty on the team will be determined at that time. Specialties range from the ability to pick a lock for peaceful well checks, to snipers, to paramedics and negotiators. It even has a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) component. Each member is required to train 10 paid hours each month.
The cost for O’Brien County to join High risk Entry and Arrest Team is $2260.00, which Bracy calls, “…a HUGE asset for the residents of O’Brien County.”
Assistance with this story came from our news partner, O’Brien County’s Bell-Times-Courier newspaper
