St. Charles County area law enforcement agencies today announced the recent formation of the St. Charles County Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), a multi-jurisdictional unit tasked with conducting thorough, objective, and transparent investigations of high-level and officer-involved critical incidents.
The CIRT permits participating agencies to share personnel, intelligence, and services more efficiently during critical incidents that require large scale investigative resources. It consists of lieutenant commanders and detectives from seven agencies, as well as crime scene investigators from the St. Charles County Police Department. The team is immediately activated upon the occurrence of a critical incident. At the conclusion of the CIRT investigation, the case is forwarded to the Prosecuting Attorney’s office in the activating agency’s jurisdiction for an independent review.
“Public confidence weighs heavily on police response to critical incident investigations,” says St. Charles County Chief Kurt Frisz. “The St. Charles County CIRT allows area agencies to share investigative expertise and essential resources to ensure a thorough and expeditious investigation.”
The St. Charles County CIRT is comprised of St. Charles County, Cottleville, Lake St. Louis, O’Fallon, St. Charles, St. Peters, and Wentzville police departments. Since its formation in February 2022, the team has responded to one critical incident in Wentzville on April 20, which remains an active investigation.
“I appreciate receiving assistance from the newly formed Critical Incident Response Team,” Wentzville Police Chief Paul West says. “The response was quick, and the unit was effective. I have full confidence that the experienced investigators will lead a thorough and transparent investigation.”