If you have been following any of the news lately, you will know that that G8/G20 Summits may be over but there are some lingering issues. It is fairly safe to say that all officers who were part of the Integrated Security Unit were kept busy.
But...true to her word, IAWP First Vice President Margaret Shorter sent me a final summation of her perspective of the Summits. Here is the last version of Marg on the Move.
Marg on the Move:
Well, after I last wrote, event accelerated to consume my every waking hour. As a result, I am writing this now in the aftermath of the G20 meetings as the security operations wind down.
While in Toronto I was assigned to day shift from 0600 to 1800 hours. I had to be up at 0400 and on the bus by 0500 (which was really 0200 hours in Vancouver according my to my biological clock!) and we didn't get to back to the hotel until approximately 2000 hours. In spite of the relief shift best efforts to get to us in a reasonable time, the movement of various demonstrations affected the coordination of bus transportation. When we did arrive back at the hotel, I would still have to shower and lay out my gear to dry for the next shift. I forced myself to take an ice bath most nights in order to bring down my core temperature and reduce swelling in my legs and feet (a little trick I learned as a runner). I survived on late night room service and four to five hours of sleep a night during my stay in Toronto.
My first assignment was as Sector 5 Supervisor. That put me in charge of 18 RCMP officers along a controlled section of Front Street within the Restricted Access Zone, or RAZ. This was the primary route for motorcade escorts coming and going from the Metro Toronto Convention Center where the delegates were holding meetings. I spent three days getting to know the site, my staff, and the contingency plans with my sector....and then....the entire plan changed.
I woke up on the morning of June 24th to find myself leading a new team as the day shift Supervisor of Sector 6. This was the section of the RAZ line that wrapped around the north side of the Toronto Fairmont York Hotel. Many of the G20 representatives were actually staying here which also made it a major motorcade destination. There was a satellite command post within the hotel with extra layers of RCMP and Security staff for protection of the hotel guests. This interface became the most challenging for my in terms of crisis communication and planning since they were under separate command supervision and on separate radio channels from my team and the command staff on the RAZ line.
As the weekend approached, the level of activity in the streets of Toronto increased. The G8 meetings in Huntsville concluded Saturday morning (June 26th) and those leaders, their contingents, and many of the security resources were relocated to the G20 in Toronto. My team responsibilities grew and communications with senior command became more difficult. I was wearing two portable radios and a Blackberry in order to maintain contact with the various areas. I had to depend on my field intelligence from our close proximity to the Toronto Police Service and other municipal departments which were manning the Interdiction Zone outside of the RAZ fence. Some of my younger, very techno savvy members, were staying informed by using cell phones, PINing, and texting friends in the Intelligence Unit. They were also accessing media websites for some very timely information.
The RAZ line contained a number of gates where credentials could be checked with electronic scanners and visually inspected. Members were under a lot of pressure from the hundreds of workers and international delegates who needed access to the RAZ.
By Saturday Toronto's financial district was under siege and protesters were approaching our fence line at Union Station next to the Royal Bank of Canada building. Unified Command was critical and the intelligence suggested that we could expect a focused mass assault at our location where ladders and grappling hooks would be used to scale the fence.
I walked the line many times ensuring that each member had their questions and concerns addressed, that they had their necessary equipment at the ready, and that they had been relieved at some point to get food and water. I reinforced the need to know the municipal counterparts across from our position and to review mutual plans for any contingency. The day wore on their were stories of clashes along the line and in the areas of Queen's Park. It was an exhausting to be on alert and have the adrenaline running all day long like that.
By late Saturday many of the leaders of various factions were under arrest. By Sunday morning, much of the energy had dissipated with the lack of leadership and by late Sunday a light rain became an additional discouraging deluge. Once we were relieved we turned in our gear and headed "home" to the hotel. My last challenge was reviewing the paperwork to ensure everyone from my unit would be properly compensated, I hopped on a buy at around 1900 hours only to find out there was one last delay with the mass exodus of delegates in motorcades heading to the airport.
Monday brought about our own mass exodus from Toronto. The line ups we created at Pearson International appeared to overwhelm the airport staff. While I did make it to my flight with 20 minutes to spare, my luggage has still not found its way home.
I sent a text message to my Sector Team today in order to bring myself some closure to this adventure. I truly feel and what I said in that message: "...The experience should serve you well...I hope the memories will be good one."
Thanks for listening,
Marg
