Zanesville Native Commands the State Special Response Team

A Zanesville native is leading the State Highway Patrol Special Response Team.

Staff Lieutenant Steve Rosta has been commander since 2000 and said they have one goal. Rosta addressed the noon Rotary Club of Zanesville on that mission Tuesday. 

"The mission is to save lives," Rosta said. "That’s the number one mission that we have, and also we provide a lot of training for outside agencies, local, city and state and even federal too. On top of that we provide a service for the division where the call goes much higher than what a normal trooper would handle."

Rosta spent ten years in the military before switching into law enforcement. However, a year after he became commander of the Special Response Team the attacks of 9/11 happened. Since then he said there has been a different operational tempo in their training.

"Not just are we training for the local issues that we deal with, but we also have to look at the international picture," Rosta said. "You know how can we best be prepared if that were to happen again here in our country and especially here in Ohio."

Rosta said the Special Response Team supports all agencies of law enforcement around the state.