"Such may make arrests, carry firearms, conduct investigations and perform other law enforcement duties as provided by federal law and regulation." - S.T.A.R.S. Card
S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) was the privately funded Special Forces unit of the Raccoon City Police Department, surpassing the likes of S.W.A.T. Working with local, state and Federal law enforcement, S.T.A.R.S. was established in order to counter acts of terrorism, organised crime and emergencies too tough for the regular police force to handle. Its members were a hand-picked team of specialists recruited from various fields, the best of the best in each. Its funding came mostly from private corporations, with the biggest contributor being the Umbrella Corporation. 1
History
As part of the "Bright Raccoon 21" plan initiated by Mayor Michael Warren, a Special Forces unit of the local R.P.D. was established in 1996 to help combat the growing crime rate in the city. A special team made of police, military and civilians alike with only the best skills shared among them in their respective fields. The unit was established in Raccoon City by Albert Wesker and Barry Burton, with the remaining team members being hand-picked either by the two founders themselves or scouted by officials. It was divided into two teams; designated "Alpha" and "Bravo" with 6 unit members in each. With the aid of the funds provided by the likes of Umbrella, S.T.A.R.S. could cooperate and share resources with the R.P.D. itself, as well as act independently. The S.T.A.R.S. Office itself was located on the second floor of the R.P.D. building. The generous funding ensured that the unit was not lacking in anything, including weapons and equipment. However, without the funding from Umbrella, S.T.A.R.S. normally would never have been established in a mid-sized city like Raccoon City, and its funding was considered unusual for a police unit in such a location.
On July 23, 1998, the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team was dispatched to the Arklay Mountains to investigate the bizarre murder cases that had been occurring in and around Raccoon City for the past few months since May. Following the forced crash-landing of the team's helicopter, contact was lost with the team completely and after a full day of no contact, Alpha team was dispatched to search for the missing members and continue the investigation. The events of July 24th became famously known as the "Mansion Incident". Over the course of the incident, S.T.A.R.S. uncovered the illegal biological experiments conducted by Umbrella in its secret "Arklay Research Facility", and it was revealed that they were chosen as the live field combatants for the corporation's B.O.W.s. It was also revealed that Albert Wesker, the leader of the unit, was a spy for Umbrella and had betrayed the unit. Following the incident, only 5 survivors from the initial 12 members of the unit survived. These included Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, Rebecca Chambers and Brad Vickers. Wesker himself had also survived.
After returning from the mansion, the surviving members confronted Police Chief Brian Irons about the events and attempted to inform the media and launch a full investigation into Umbrella. However, these efforts were brushed off, with Irons being on Umbrella's payroll. Shortly after their return, the unit was officially disbanded and replaced with the Raccoon S.W.A.T. force. Chris and Barry left for Europe to investigate Umbrella whilst Jill remained in Raccoon City to continue her investigation into Umbrella's underground research facility. Brad also remained in the city while Rebecca departed, her whereabouts unknown since then.
During the t-virus outbreak in Raccoon City in late September, Umbrella Europe sent in their experimental Nemesis-T Type to hunt down and kill the surviving members of S.T.A.R.S. In the end, the Nemesis only managed to kill Brad, with Jill defeating the monster just prior to the "sterilization" of the city. The remaining members of S.T.A.R.S. then formed an anti-Umbrella group in 1999.
Members
Members of the unit were primarily recruited from law enforcement or military agencies such as S.W.A.T. Some members such as the 18 year old Rebecca Chambers were recruited specifically for their abilities in certain fields. On top of this, all S.T.A.R.S. members undergo extensive training in various fields to add to their already expansive knowledge and experience.
S.T.A.R.S. is divided into two teams, Alpha team and Bravo team, and each squad member is assigned to a position. These are Leader (LDR), Point Man (PM), Backup Man (BUM), Omni Man (OM) and Rear Security (RS).
Equipment
Due to the funding provided by Umbrella, the Raccoon City S.T.A.R.S. team were able to acquire the latest and most advanced weapons and equipment possible at the time. The extra-generous donations from Umbrella, expertise of Barry Burton and help of the local Kendo Gun Shop managed by Robert Kendo and Joseph Kendo aided in this, providing expert customization. The unit's standard side-arm was the Beretta M92FS (S.T.A.R.S. Special) "Samurai Edge" Custom. Other custom weapons were also manufactured, including a custom assault shotgun and grenade launcher. The unit also maintained standard radios for each member, with a main "central" radio in the S.T.A.R.S. Office itself.