The Emergency Task Force (ETF) is the tactical unit of the Toronto Police Service. Created in 1965, it is mandated to deal with high risk situations like hostage taking, emotionally disturbed persons, high risk arrests, warrant service, and protection details. The Emergency Task Force is also responsible for responding to any terrorist incidents that occur throughout the City of Toronto.
The Emergency Task Force was created in 1965 after being known as the Riot and Emergency Squad which dealt with riots and crowd control issues. Over the years the unit has grown considerably and crowd control has been undertaken by the Public Safety Unit which falls under the control of the Public Safety and Emergency Management command.
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 each. The teams are on-call 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Each tactical team has a team leader, assaulters, 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 negotiation team consists of the two ETF Staff Sergeant supervisors. If a situation is not resolved by a member of a Special Weapons Team, who is a trained negotiator, the negotiation team will be called in to take over the negotiations. In more complex calls involving suicidal, homicidal-suicidal, or violent emotionally disturbed individuals, a forensic psychiatrist, who has been on the negotiation team for the past 22 years, can be called to the scene to advise the negotiators and/or incident commander.
The unit is located in Toronto, in a 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) building that was built in 1989. It contains:
Three of the TPS's specialized units compose 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 an hour and a half drive north of Toronto. The unit also trains with members of the CF's counter-terrorism unit Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2), who are based at the Dwyer Hill Training Facility outside of Ottawa.
In a medical situation, Toronto EMS tactical paramedics in body armour work along with the ETF.
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).
The ETF use the MP5A3 sub-machine gun, Remington 700 bolt-action sniper rifle, Remington 870 shotgun, and the Diemaco C8 carbine, while Glock 17 or 19 handguns are authorized as sidearms.
Less than lethal options are also at the disposal of team members: these include X26 Tasers, pepper spray (OC Spray) and tear gas (CS Gas), and rubber bullets or bean bag rounds.
ETF also operates Northrop Grumman Remotec Andros MK V1A bomb disposal remote robots to defuse suspected bombs or suspicious objects. The newest robot used by the team is the Remotec Andros F6B.
The vehicles used by the team include the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Expedition, Ford F150, Ford F550, Ford Explorer and Ford Taurus Police Interceptor. They also have a number of Chevrolet express vans as RDVs. Since the summer of 2005, the ETF also have an armoured car, the Armet Trooper, which can be used to rescue injured civilians or officers.
Currently, the Toronto Police Service does not have its 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).
ETF responded to an operation that involved resolving a hostage-taking situation on December 31, 1999. A man took a doctor at St Michael's Hospital hostage, holding the doctor at gunpoint. The incident ended when two ETF officers fired three shots, killing the man.
ETF responded to an operation that involved resolving a hostage-taking situation on August 25, 2004. A man with a history of domestic violence took a woman hostage, holding her at gunpoint during morning rush hour just outside Union Station in downtown Toronto. The incident ended when an ETF sharpshooter fired a shot, killing the man. The hostage was traumatized but unharmed. [1] [2]
ETF responded to 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 the off-duty officer and awaiting ETF. [3]
ETF officers were involved with Project Fusion arrests. This was an investigation led by the Province of Ontario Guns and Gangs Task Force, whose officers were working hand-in-hand with other services, mainly the Durham Regional Police Drug and Gang Enforcement Units. These arrests happened on the morning of April 1, 2009 and saw over 120 locations raided by not only Toronto Police tactical officers, but officers from surrounding police services as well from as far away as Belleville and London, Ontario. In total, 38 police tactical units were used for these warrants. The centre of the raids was at the area of Markham and Eglinton, but also included locations in Peel and York Region, along with several locations in Durham Region.[ citation needed ]
The ETF responded to a call on board a TTC bus in which an EDP tried to hijack the bus at knife point on August 2, 2016. The ETF and their psychiatrist negotiated with the man for over five hours and were successful in getting him to surrender, they have been highly praised by the media for taking the time to resolve the scene peacefully. [4]
The Canadian television series Flashpoint , which aired in both Canada and the United States from 2008 to 2012, focused on a fictional version of the ETF called the "Strategic Response Unit" (SRU). [5] [6]
In the United States, a SWAT team is generic term for a law enforcement unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to handle riot control or violent confrontations with criminals, the number and usage of SWAT teams increased in the 1980s and 1990s during the War on Drugs and later in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. In the United States as of 2005, SWAT teams were deployed 50,000 times every year, almost 80% of the time to serve search warrants, most often for narcotics. SWAT teams are increasingly equipped with military-type hardware and trained to deploy against threats of terrorism, for crowd control, hostage taking, and in situations beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement, sometimes deemed "high-risk". Other countries have developed their own paramilitary police units (PPUs) that are also described as or comparable to SWAT forces.
Close-quarters combat (CQC) or close-quarters battle (CQB) is a tactical situation that involves a physical fight with firearms involved between multiple combatants at quite short range. It can occur between military units, police/corrections officers and criminal elements, and in other similar situations. In warfare, it usually consists of units or teams of varying size engaging the target or attacking personnel with personal weapons within a distance of up to 100 meters, from proximity hand-to-hand combat to close-quarter target negotiation with usually automatic weapons. In the typical close combat scenario, the attackers try a very fast, violent takeover of a vehicle or structure controlled by the defenders, who usually have no easy method to withdraw. Because attacking and defending personnel, hostages/civilians, and friendly personnel can be closely intermingled, close-quarters combat demands a rapid assault and a precise implementation of lethal force. The operators need obvious, sufficient proficiency with their weapons, and the ability to make quick decisions in order to limit friendly casualties and raise the likelihood of operational success.
The Emergency Response Team (ERT) are police tactical units of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police based throughout Canada which are mainly part-time teams. According to the RCMP, the ERT "is a group of highly-trained RCMP members capable of employing specialized weapons, equipment, and tactics to resolve extremely high-risk situations." The ERT is also mandated to assess the situation and determine whether extreme danger or the presence of small arms cannot be easily resolved by RCMP officers on general duties or by other police forces throughout Canada. The ERT offers consulting services to its fellow officers such as firearms files and shootings that involve police officers.
The Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) was an elite police tactical unit of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The SERT was formed in 1986 to provide a tactical capability to respond to major terrorist incidents throughout Canada. The unit was disbanded in 1993 when responsibility for counter terrorist response transferred from the RCMP to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
Special Tasks and Rescue Group is the Police Tactical Group of the South Australia Police.
The York Regional Police (YRP) are a law enforcement organization that serves over 1.1 million residents in the York Region of Ontario, Canada, located north of Toronto. YRP was formed in 1971 from the police forces maintained by the nine municipalities which amalgamated into York Region at the time.
The Special Task Force (STF) is the elite police tactical unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS). The Special Task Force handles high risk operations that fall beyond the scope of classic policing which require specialised skills.
The Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) is the police service operated by and serving the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada. The force serves the following local municipalities, with a combined population of 706,200.
The State Protection Group (SPG) is part of the Counter Terrorism & Special Tactics Command of the New South Wales Police Force and was established in 1991 to deal with extraordinary policing responses. The SPG directly supports police in high-risk incidents such as sieges with specialised tactical, negotiation, intelligence and command-support services. The unit also provides rescue and bomb disposal support, canine policing, and armoury services.
The Security Operations Group (SOG) is a unit of elite corrections officers of Corrective Services NSW, Australia formerly known as the Hostage Response Group (HRG).
The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) is the police tactical unit of the Garda Síochána, Ireland's national police and security service. The unit was a section of the forces' Special Detective Unit (SDU), under the Crime and Security Branch (CSB) until 2017, when the Special Tactics and Operational Command was created to take over its operational duties alongside Armed Support Units.
The Tactics and Rescue Unit (TRU) is the tactical police unit of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). It was formed in 1975 in connection with the 1976 Summer Olympics, which had venues in Ontario.
The Felony Investigative Assistance Team (FIAT) is a multi-jurisdictional police task force comprising 16 law enforcement agencies in Cook County, Illinois, and DuPage County, Illinois, ]. The taskforce covers approximately 300,000 residents in those jurisdictions. It is broken down into five units, four of which are staffed by assigned officers.
The Special Detective Unit (SDU) is the main domestic security agency of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of the Republic of Ireland, under the aegis of the Crime & Security Branch (CSB). It is the primary counter-terrorism and counter-espionage investigative unit within the state. The Special Detective Unit superseded the Special Branch, which itself replaced the older Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which was founded in 1921. They work in conjunction with the Defence Forces Directorate of Military Intelligence (G2) – the Republic of Ireland's national intelligence service – on internal matters. The unit's headquarters are in Harcourt Street, Dublin City.
Police Tactical Group (PTG) is the generic term used to refer to highly trained Australian police tactical units that tactically manage and resolves high-risk incidents, including sieges, armed offender situations and terrorist incidents. Each State and Territory maintain a PTG able to respond and resolve high-risk incidents across their jurisdiction, and inter-State when required. Police Tactical Groups are fundamental to the Federal government's National Counter-Terrorism Plan (NCTP) to respond to major terrorist incidents in Australia. The Plan initially developed in 1980, then known as the National Anti-Terrorism Plan, is overseen by the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC). The Plan requires each state and territory police to maintain a police tactical unit designated as a Police Tactical Group which is jointly funded by the federal government and the respective state or territory government.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department is the primary provider of law enforcement services for Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee. The MNPD covers a total area of 526.1 square miles (1,363 km2) that encompasses everything from high density urban locations to rural areas.
Reinforced Regional Task Force, prior to 2015 officially known as Piketen is a regional special operations asset of the Swedish Police Authority, similar to SWAT type units in the United States. RRTF is called upon when situations occur that are too dangerous for ordinary police to handle such as hostage situations, serving high-risk arrest warrants and confronting armed criminals. RRTF units are based in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö.
The Special Tactics Group (STG) is the full-time police tactical unit of the New Zealand Police. The STG, originally named the Anti-Terrorist Squad, was established to respond to high-risk situations which are beyond the scope or capacity of everyday policing. STG officers directly support operational police in incidents, such as sieges, with specialist tactical, negotiation, intelligence, and command support services. New Zealand is part of the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC) and as such, the STG is considered a police tactical group.
The Columbia Police Department (CPD) is the principal law enforcement agency serving the city of Columbia, Missouri in the United States. It protects a metropolitan population of nearly 122,000 with 174 sworn police officers.
...Co-creators Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern developed the idea for a series loosely inspired by the Toronto Police Emergency Task Force. The fictional unit on TV, an elite squad called the Strategic Response Unit (SRU), deals with extreme situations such as hostage-taking and bomb threats.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Emergency Task Force . |