Montgomery County police celebrated the 30th year of their Tactical Medic Program by honoring the officers who helped get the medical support team in place.
The original idea for the medical unit that supports SWAT teams was developed by now retired Officer Karl Plitt. He came up with the idea following a Silver Spring bank robbery in 1979. The concept was almost unheard of at the time, but emergency medical support teams are now a standard part of most police departments.
Retired Officer Paul Sterling joined the team in its early days. At the time, he was not only a police officer but a medic with the Wheaton Rescue Squad.
“The early days were really, really tough because it was a new concept in law enforcement,” Sterling said in a statement. “But [Pitt] and I had a real commitment and a strong belief that our own officers as well as civilians in tactical emergency situations needed medical treatment support.”
It took three years for Pitt and Sterling to prove their point. On May 28, 1982, a gunman stormed the IBM building in Bethesda. The disgruntled former employee shot and killed three people and injured nine. It was seven hours before the shooter was in custody and the scene secure enough for fire department rescue teams to enter.
But the police officers with medical training on the Tactical Medic Unit were able to get inside the building immediately and start treating the wounded. The success was clear and the program expanded.
Today the team provides support throughout the Washington region and is on standby to act in the case of natural disaster or a terrorist attack.
