The Moberly Police Department’s Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) is an elite unit within the department, which is comprised of seven highly trained, motivated and dedicated officers, with a combined law enforcement experience of almost 90 years.

These officers are specially trained in high-risk conflict resolution and dealing with incidents that go well beyond the scope and realm of “normal” day to day police patrol functions, in order to bring the incidents to successful conclusion.

The HRT was officially activated on December 1, 1992. Of the original seven team members, only two remain; Sgt. Russell Tarr and Sgt. Kevin Palmatory.

The amount of knowledge and experience possessed by these officers is beneficial not only to the department, but to the citizens of Moberly and Randolph County as well. Five of the team members are supervisors, due to their dedication and motivation. With their real-world working experience, this knowledge is passed on to the rank and file police officers in ways that no book or classroom can match. When this information is passed down, these up and coming officers are better equipped to do their job safely and professionally.

In the words of the Hostage Rescue Team: “Failure to prepare is to prepare for failure”.