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4- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, October 27, 1998 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Always on guard By Chris Hall Port Perry Star As they unwind in a small room in the basement of an Oshawa station, a group of Durham Regional Police officers are poking fun at an injured comrade. Training is done for the week and the dozen members of the Tactical Support Unit are relaxing in their office, a small three-room space in the bottom of Oshawa's 17 Division building. It's the times like these, says Sgt. John Vandenburg, that bring the group together. That ' spirit of camarade- rie 1s an important element of being a member of Durham's elite unit. "These guys have to trust each other; they have to know one another, because when # they're out there, their lives could / depend on each oth- § er," said Sgt. Vandenburg. Twelve consta- bles and one serge- ant make up Durham's TSU squad. Theyre a tight-knit group, but never forget the seri- ous nature of their work together, said Sgt. Vandenburg. "They laugh and joke around together when they are here, but not many of them hang out when their shifts are over," he sald. "They like to separate their per- sonal lives from work: these guys deal with a lot In a week's work." The unit was original- ly formed in 1985 as a part- time force because experience demonstrated that many regular patrol officers lacked the specialized training and equipment to handle high- risk situations, said Sgt. Vandenburg. After a selection process, nine consta- bles and one sergeant served under the direction of an inspector who headed up Durham's first TSU. The officers remained with their respective units, and functioned with the TSU only when called out in special situations. In 1995 the TSU was granted full- time status, allowing members to focus on responding to and handling all high- risk calls. It allowed the officers to spend more time training and it relieved divi- sional platoons of the nuisance of losing officers to training and tactical calls. While the squad may only answer three to four calls a month, they are often of the high-risk variety, says Sgt. rd a. { a J : by Vandenburg. "We handle all types of calls. Anything involving an armed person we will be called out Hostage taking, barricaded persons, high-risk arrests, search warrants, and court security," he said, noting that the Durham unit also services Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Port Hope. "We're at about 40 calls right now for 1998. The summer is a busy time for us because it is warmer and that seems to cause a few more problems. It kind of goes up and down all the time." Durham's TSU officers, though, do not spend their time lounging around waiting for a call. "About 50 per cent of their time is spent doing training and actual tactical operations. Other times they are taking care of equipment and looking after spe- Durham's Tactical Support Unit ready to respond and protect cific problems," said Sgt. Vandenburg. "If there's a particular problem somewhere, and there's not enough manpower for a platoon to look into it, we'll go." "We'll go out and solve some pro- blems, and the guys enjoy going on regu- lar patrol and backing up any other calls. They assist the specialty units such as intelligence and drugs. This unit is sort of a jack of all trades." Life as a TSU member in Durham is not neces- sarily like the door-kick- ing, sharp-shooting type of action portrayed on television. "We have the capabili- ty to do what they do, but they make it just a touch more dramatic on TV. Our basic procedure is to "8 contain and nego- tiate," said Sgt. Vandenburg. Two negotiators are sent out on eve- ry call with the team, and they play a large role in helping to defuse potentially dangerous situations. "Our goal is to make con- tact with the sus- - pect and talk them out of the situation because our priority is always to make a safe arrest. If we can't do that, then we have to look at other tactics." Some of those include the use of chemical agents such as a gas that induces a nasal irritation that makes breathing uncom- fortable. Other tactics, dubbed less- lethal weapons, include pepper spray, tear gas and the squad's most recent acquisition, a riot gun. "It's sort of an odd-looking weapon, but it works," says Sgt. Vandenburg. "It fires plastic bullets, which aim at the mid-section area. It has the potential to kill, but its use is for slowing down, maybe injuring a suspect, but not killing. "If someone approaches us with a knife or a bat, that's what we'd use for anyone without a firearm. If they have a firearm then we would use firearms right back; it's only fair." In the 13 years that the unit has been around there has been only one incident in which shots have been fired, said Sgt. Vandenburg. And the unit has met with a great deal of success in its dealings. No officer or suspect has ever been injured during a TSU call, said Sgt. Vandenburg. Nor have any hostages been hurt since the unit was formed. "You figure over that time we've answered 400 or 500 calls... that's a pret- ty good record," he said. "We look after the public's safety first; in most cases they didn't ask to be in the situation they are in, and they're not equipped, trained or protected for the incident. Next, we look after ourselves and then we look after the bad guy. He's the one that dictates whether he's safe or not." Officers showing up for a call wear a two-piece Durham Police suit covered by a heavy kevlar upper body suit which can withstand high-calibre rifle rounds, as well as a kevlar helmet and gloves. Knee and elbow pads are also worn, as are tactical glasses, a headset and radio. Officers are equipped with a pistol or submachine gun. When fully suited up, each officer carries at least an extra 100 pounds of equipment and body armour. Officers applying for a TSU position should have at least five years experi- ence as a cop, should be in good physical shape and be a good shot. "Usually we get applicants to take a specific physical test and a firearms test. From there they go onto the interview where we look over their resume, eval- uations and recommendations," said Sgt. Vandenburg. "We want them to have a little experience on the streets so they know what they're getting into." The average amount of time an officer spends with the TSU is between five and 10 years. "It's a pretty stressful job," said Sgt. Vandenburg. "Guys usually like to stay for a few years before moving on. Most who have come out of the TSU have been promoted; it's a good stepping stone for a lot of officers." Durham Region's elite Tactical Support Unit is a tight-knit group of men who train for high-risk calls like hostage taking, armed robber- ies, etc. The team is made up of 12 constables and one sergeant.