Riot police stand in formation with bicycle police as the Integrated Security Unit for the G20 provide a technical briefing at the Toronto Police College Thursday, June 3, 2010.Darren Calabrese
This morning, members of the Integrated Security Unit did a technical briefing for the media to show the specialized units that will likely be used during the G20 summit. Members of the canine team, bike police, mounted police, RCMP, Armed Forces, EMS, and the Emergency Task Force explosive Disposal Unit were on hand. The units demonstrated what the security around a motorcade would look like and showed off their fancy new LRAD, or sound cannon. Here's what I gathered from the demo:
- There will be several checkpoint entry locations into the fenced in zone around the summit site. The location of the checkpoints will be released soon. People will be required to show their express pass, or photo ID and answer questions from police.
- The LRAD is not nearly as intimidating as you would expect. It looks like a large speaker strapped to someone's chest. It also plays an advertisement at the beginning of its broadcast: "This is a test of LRAD, from American Technlogical Service." Inspector Gary Meissner said the LRAD will not be deployed within 10 metres of people. "This is not a weapon," he said. The first time the police turned it on, the levels were set at 50 per cent and the sound was so low it was barely audible. At the request of the assembled media, the police officer wearing the device, Police Constable Paul Breeze, moved further away and turned the thing up. It sounds like a really clear megaphone, but a short blast of the alarm setting was painful to the ear. Surprisngly, the officers wearing the device do not require ear protection, as it only projects the sound forward. Insp. Meissner said they would only wear ear protection if they had the thing on for an extended period of time. The device weighs about 18 pounds. PC Breeze characterized the noise of the LRAD at full blast as "bearable." There's an easy way to defeat it, he said, and plugged his ears.
- The armed forces will be deployed at Pearson International Airport to concentrate on the protection of Internationally Protected Persons.
- There will be limitations on where boaters can go on the weekend of the summit, but the marine restrictions have not yet been finalized.