EMS is playing an increasing role in the medical support of law enforcement. Interest in Rescue Task Force (RTF) and Tactical EMS (TEMS) is growing, with the realization that such programs have the potential to speed access to medical care in hostile environments, to the benefit of law enforcement officers and the public. To best use such programs, it is essential to understand the unmet needs that led to their creation, analyze the proposed tactical and medical advantages of such programs, and critically appraise how implementation of TEMS and RTF has fared up to this point in real-world situations. From there, we can suggest best practices in TEMS and RTF that EMS providers and leadership can use to effectively create and deploy these programs for times of critical need.'