The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team was formed in 1995 by Sheriff Earl Butler. The Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team has eleven sworn law enforcement officers assigned to the team with additional support from the Community Policing Unit. The Search and Rescue Team falls under the direct Command of the Patrol Commander and is accountable for all 661 square miles of Cumberland County to include the Cape Fear River, Little River, South River and several lakes located throughout Cumberland County.
Members of the Search and Rescue Team are certified in FUNSAR, Man Tracking, Land Navigation (GPS and Compass), Boat Operations, Current Diving, Black Water Dives, Deep Dives, Rescue Dives and several other mandated dive and land certifications.
The purpose of the Search and Rescue Team is to handle land and dive rescue missions. Land Rescue is responsible for searching for lost, missing or overdue persons (from very young to seniors) and for evidence recovery. Dive Rescue’s main function is the recovery of drowning victims, the collection of submerged evidence such as vehicles, guns, stolen property and assisting stranded boaters on the river.
The Cumberland County Search and Rescue Team is devoted to the Sheriff and the citizens of Cumberland County. Our mission is to reach out and give support to any citizen of Cumberland County and other counties that may need aid in search and rescue incidents.
Supervisor – Lt. L. Fermin – (910) 321-5586
* Contact us via Email.
Hours of Operation: M – F 8:00am – 5:00pm
After hour emergencies should contact the Watch Commander at (910) 677-5432