The private security guard’s suspicions were raised immediately. On duty at the University of Toronto, the Reilly Security guard watched as a swarm of black-clad individuals got off a bus and entered a nearby building on campus. According to intelligence reports he had received, the individuals fit the description of the “Black Bloc,” typically anarchists who dress in all black and obscure their faces to preserve their anonymity and create the illusion of a larger group.

Earlier that day, roving packs of Black Bloc anarchists stormed Toronto’s financial and shopping districts damaging business storefronts and setting police cruisers on fire in an anti-capitalist rage during the G20 protests. Fearful the black-clad grouping was preparing for more mischief, the security guard reported what he observed to the University of Toronto’s Incident Command Center and the Toronto Association of Police and Private Security (TAPPS), a public-private security partnership that operates an online portal for information sharing. Intelligence confirmed that these 75 anarchists planned to target two large financial institutions the next day. Police were dispatched to the scene and arrested 75 suspected anarchists before they could cause further mayhem.

After months of planning, training, and information sharing, TAPPS had proven its resourcefulness and utility once again—a common occurrence throughout the chaotic weekend of June 25.

 (To finish reading August's online exclusive "Partnering Against Anarchy" by David Neely, CPP, click here [1].)

♦ Photo by Subterranean Tourist Board/Flickr [2]

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