The Taylor County Sheriff's Office organized the Underwater Search and Recovery Team (USRT) in August of 1999. The was a need recognized because of the geographical location of the county.

This Team was formed to assist the Taylor County Sheriff's Office with any and all incidents involving underwater recoveries or crime scene investigations. Taylor County contains four small to large rivers, all of which are considered "dark water" rivers. Taylor County also has approximately 65 miles of coastline on the Gulf of Mexico and also contains numerous ponds and rock quarries as well as one large man-made lake.

At this time, the Sheriff's Office averages two calls per year for such a unit as the USRT. But, as the County's population increases and the number of visitors to Taylor County increase, the number of incidents that will require the services of the USRT are also expected to increase.

The USRT at this time consists of seven certified divers. Six of the seven divers are certified Law Enforcement Officers from the Taylor County Sheriff's Office and the Perry Police Department. The seventh member of the team is a certified EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) and holds a Dive Master certification.

All of the operations that have been experienced by the Team thus far and even before are all "low to zero visibility". The Team trains in simulated low to zero visibility and in the actual bodies of water and waterways that we are expected to called upon to perform actual operations.

The Team, though newly formed, is growing and constantly striving to educate its members in safer and better ways to process underwater crime scenes and recovery of submerged items.