The Brandon Police Service Emergency Response Team (Later renamed the Tactical Response Unit) was formed in 1990 at the direction of then Chief Brian Scott. The team was formed after a firearms incident in the central part of the City. Chief Scott quickly realized the need for such a specialized team and the process began. Under the direction of A/Sgt. Don Bell a total of 7 members formed the first team. Training was conducted under the direction of members of the Winnipeg Police Service Emergency Response Unit. The Team was called into active duty in 1992 after the Police Service was satisfied that the level of basic and specialized training was up to standard. In addition to the training with the Winnipeg Police Service specialized training was also received through the Calgary Police Service (Sniper/Observer Training) and through the FBI Field Office in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In 1992 Sgt. (Later Inspector) Ian Grant was assigned to be the NCO in charge of the team and served in that role until 1999. Insp. Grant was one of the seven original members of the team. The team also added an 8th member. From the humble beginnings in 1990, and with the support of the Police Service, the team acquired state of the art equipment and resources in order to complete their role in a safe and effective manner. This was also supplemented with training under the direction of members of the Los Angeles Police Department SWAT, the RCMP for Sniper / Observer Training, and the Winnipeg Police Service for Chemical Munitions Training as well as in house training throughout the year.

In 1999 S/Sgt. Doug Palson took over as the NCO in charge of the team and remained in this capacity until 2004. During his tenure the team name was changed from the Emergency Response Team to the Tactical Response Unit. Again with the commitment from the Police Service equipment and training requirements were given a high priority.

In 2004 Cst. Darren Creighton took over command of the team followed by Sgt. Randy Lewis, who remains the NCO in charge of the team today. With the work of these officers, members of the Police Service Dog Unit became more involved on an operational level with the Unit. As well a proposal to have alternate members trained and ready to join the team in the event of someone leaving was also introduced. As well the Unit was able to acquire a former City of Brandon Fire Department Ambulance for use by the team. This was a very welcome addition considering the original vehicle used by the team.

Today the team is made up of 12 members (including the Police Service Dog Unit members and an alternate). The team is well equipped and well trained to deal with a wide variety of high risk situations that the Police Service many encounter. More and more the Unit is working very closely with the members of the Crisis Negotiations Unit and with trained Incident Commanders to ensure in real life situations the Police Service is prepared to meet the challenges it faces from high risk situations in a professional and proficient manner.