The National Tactical Officers Association's 2018 update of the Tactical Response and Operations Standard for Law Enforcement Agencies now includes a section on Tactical Emergency Medical Services (TEMS). These new standards reflect the NTOA Position Statement on TEMS and represents the increasing importance of integrating medical elements into law enforcement special operations.

This presentation is intended to guide commanders seeking to incorporate medical response practices into regular law enforcement operations. The purpose of doing so is to further the law enforcement objective to preserve life, to increase resiliency of operations, and build trust within civilian communities.

Dr. Jason Pickett serves as the EMS System Deputy Medical Director for the City of Austin and Travis County, Texas. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Wright State University. He provides medical oversight and support to the Austin, Texas Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety SWAT in this capacity. Dr. Pickett is the Tactical EMS Co-Chair for the Special Operations Medicine Scientific Assembly and is a member of the Guidelines and Practice Committee for the National Association of EMS Physicians. He is also a member of the Guidelines Committee for the Committee on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care. Dr. Pickett is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and Subspecialty Board Certified in Emergency Medical Services. Before his position in Austin, Dr. Pickett served as the Director of the Center for Prehospital and Operational Medicine at Wright State University. He has served as Medical Director for several fire departments and police SWAT teams in the Dayton, Ohio area. He is currently a Major in the West Virginia Army National Guard as a Battalion Surgeon in a special operations unit.