Emergency Task Force (TPS)

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Organization

The unit's current commander is Staff Inspector Dave Marks. The Emergency Task Force currently comprises 82 officers from all units who are tactically trained. There are seven Special Weapons Teams consisting of 10 officers on each team. The teams are on-call 24 hours, every day of the week. Each tactical team is comprised of a team leader, snipers, bomb technicians, and a negotiator. All team members are trained as assaulters, and thus are able to perform any necessary tasks requiring force.

The unit is located in Toronto's Don Mills neighbourhood, in a 35,000 square foot building that was built in 1989. It contains:

* meeting rooms
* two shooting ranges
* a rappelling tower
* an exercise room
* a large garage to house the unit's specialized vehicles

Three of the TPS' specialized units comprise the ETF. These include the special weapons teams (tactical), explosive disposal unit (EDU), and the emergency response unit (ERU). The ERU provides specialized equipment for the ETF, including high powered lights, crane, and the mobile command post.

The teams train at their Don Mills station, as well as at CFB Borden, a Canadian Forces (CF) base approximately 45 minutes north of Toronto. The unit also trains with members of the CF's anti-terrorism unit Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2), who are based at the Dwyer Hill Training Facility outside of Ottawa.

In order to better serve the city of Toronto, the ETF maintains a close working relationship with other police tactical teams of the Greater Toronto Area, including the York Regional Police Emergency Response Unit (ERU), the Durham Regional Police Tactical Support Unit (TSU) and the Peel Regional Police Tactical and Rescue Unit (TRU).

Equipment

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The main vehicles used by the team include the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor and the Chevrolet Suburban, along with vans that look similar to the Ford E series (they don't have the 4 side windows only the driver and passenger seat side windows). The ETF also have an armoured car which can be used to rescue injured civilians or officers. The current armoured car, a Armet Armored Vehicles Balkan was put into service during the summer of 2005.

Currently, the Toronto Police service does not have their own helicopter, but has access to the helicopters from York and Durham Regional Police, along with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The helicopter can be used as a method of inserting team members, gathering valuable intelligence, acting as a position for a sniper/observer team and to also act as a distraction for an assault team to gain entry into a location.

Operation highlights

accessdate=2008-04-16]

ETF responded to an another operation that involved an off-duty 33 Division Officer inside a CIBC bank on Lawrence and Victoria Park. On February 26, 2008, ETF, K-9 and officers from 33 Division were called to a bank robbery in progress. Unknown to the 16 year old suspect, officers surrounded the bank and waited for the suspect to exit. The suspect left the bank only to be tackled by awaiting ETF and plain-clothes officers. [cite news |url=http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2008/02/26/4877596.html |title=Police foil east-end bank robbery |first=Tamara |last=Cherry |coauthors=Don Peat |publisher=Toronto Sun |date=2008-02-26 |accessdate=2008-04-17]

ee also

* Emergency Response Team (RCMP) CAN
* Police Tactical Unit (Hong Kong) and Special Duties Unit of the Hong Kong Police HKG
* Police Tactical Unit (Singapore) SIN
* SAS of the British Army UK
* GSG 9 GER
* Piketen SWE

References

External links

* [http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/etf/ Emergency Task Force]
* [http://www.torontopolice.ca/ Toronto Police Service main website]
* [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061130/wfive_noescape_061130/20061202?hub=WFive/ Documentary on the ETF]