STRYKER PROTEST -- VIDEO & BACKGROUND: First arrests at Port of Tacoma -- Background on Tacoma DRT
Written by Mark Jensen
Tuesday, 06 March 2007
An intense six-minute video shows an arrest made by police at the Port of Tacoma shortly after midnight on Mon., Mar, 5, at the peaceful nonviolent protest of the shipment of Stryker vehicles through the Port of Tacoma.[1] -- It was posted by Prof. Zoltan Grossman of The Evergreen State College. -- Later in the day a short description of the weapons and tactics of the Disorder Response Team (DRT) of the Tacoma Police was posted by Tim Smith, the founder of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee-Tacoma.[2] ...
Three people were arrested for peacefully protesting at the Port of Tacoma at about 12:30 a.m. Monday morning, March 5, 2007. They were protesting the shipment of Stryker Brigade armored vehicles from Fort Lewis to the illegal war and occupation in Iraq. Caitlin Esworthy was arrested within seconds after the Tacoma Police Disorder Response Team confronted the protest. Another person, veteran Wally Cuddeford, was then brutally dragged on his stomach just after his arrest was captured in this video. Another protester (Jeff Berryhill) was later shot by a rubber bullet as he nonviolently held a sign at the edge of the street. Police also aimed shotguns and tasers directly at protesters. The Tacoma police appeared to become less violent after the TV media finally arrived. These protests were part of a continuation of actions begun last year against the use of the Port of Olympia to ship offensive weapons to Iraq. The military at Fort Lewis decided this year to avoid the use of the Port of Olympia, but rather to ship arms at the Port of Tacoma. For background information in 2006 see http://www.omjp.org (then click Port 2006). Both last year's protests and this year's are not directed at the troops, but rather to support them by ending the illegal war as soon as possible and getting them home this year. In the background you can hear members of Iraq Veterans Against the War exhorting their fellow soldiers to question the war. Other Tacoma and Olympia groups leading the rally were Port Militarization Resistance and Students for a Democratic Society.
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TACOMA DISORDER RESPONSE TEAM (DRT) IN ACTION By Tim Smith
Like most major metropolitan police departments, the Tacoma Police Department (TPD) has a host of specialized sub-units and specially trained police officers ranging from K-9 to Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT).
One of the least known is the "Disorder Response Team" (DRT), pronounced 'DiRT.' This article outlines the mission, structure, motivation, and equipment of this part of your local security force and is based on information obtained by the Bill of Rights Defense Committee-Tacoma from multiple sources. Those groups involved in public expressive activities should be aware of their capabilities, motivations, and tactics, and the possibility of encountering this element of our local safety force.
The DRT was formed in the early 1990s to counter incidents involving large-scale civil unrest that might threaten the safety, lives, and property of law abiding citizens. These incidents run the gamut from spontaneous outbursts, passive civil disobedience and labor unrest, crowd control at public events, or violent disorder. The TPD DRT has been employed at the WTO riots in Seattle, the 4th of July celebration on Ruston Way, at peaceful assemblies at the Northwest Detention Center, during the annual Leonard Peltier March and Rally, and is currently deployed at the Port of Tacoma for the Stryker Brigade deployment.
TPD's DRT resolves these tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving situations in order to minimize danger to Tacoma's citizens. The DRT relies on mobility, teamwork, and decisive action to address problems of mass unrest before they spiral out of control. The intent is to deter potential problems with intimidating crowd control measures, Tasers, Clubs Chemical Agents, and Non-Lethal weapons.
The DRT is not a standing organization -- meaning -- its officers do not sit around in their Planet of the Apes gorilla suits and wait for the next riot. The officers get no specialty pay other than normal overtime and allowances. Rather, the members carry their 87 pounds worth of specialty gear in the trunks of their cruisers. Approximately 50+ officers are assigned to the DRT as an additional duty. They are further subdivided into specialty teams. Two Tactical Teams with 11 members each form the basis of the riot control teams and initiate contact with offenders and administer control procedures. Integrated within these teams are the Chemical Agent/Projectile Units. The remaining officers make up the Arrest Team and have standardized procedures for detention and processing of offenders. The Vehicle Team transports officers to the scene of unrest and also provides crowd control and security. The DRT has at least three specialized vans to hold additional protective gear, chemicals, and other crowd control equipment as well as offender transportation.
The callout for the DRT is done according to a pre-arranged alert phone-tree. Requests for special events, marches, or other information gathered on local activist groups are processed regularly by the TPD Intelligence Unit. The DRT may be placed on stand-by. The Field Sergeant may also request the DRT thru his Sector Lieutenant during rapidly escalating disorder. The Sector Lieutenant then requests assistance from the DRT commander and members are paged and respond to a pre-arranged rally point. The Tacoma PD Incident Command Center Van may also respond and provide "over the building" video and communications support using its telescoping mast and computer support equipment.
The typical DRT officer carries and wears a variety of specialized kit for dealing with uncertainty and unexpected challenges from disorderly mobs. This kit is designed not only to protect but also to intimidate and demoralize offenders. The kit reflects the trend towards the militarization of public safety personnel over the last twenty years. All uniforms items are flat black. The uniform is black Battle Dress Uniform blouse and pants with the DRT Unit patch and badge. A black Military Issue Kevlar helmet is worn with transparent face shield. A protective vest is worn over the exterior to provide protection against impact weapons. This is in addition to the standard Police ballistic vest. Team members also wear Nomex fire resistant gloves and baseball catcher-type shin guards. A gas mask is worn in a carrier on the hip or on the thigh. Members may also use a transparent rectangular shield in certain circumstances.
The Tactical Team may also employ two different types of Impact Tools which are either long or short clubs or sticks. A repetitive banging of the Impact Tools on the shield accompanied by a very distinctive stomp and drag foot movement is used when moving against disorderly elements and intended to intimidate and cause anxiety and fear. The Chemical Agent/Projectile Units also have a variety of non-lethal weapons at their disposal. A 37mm grenade launcher is the delivery system for Chemical agents ranging from CS, CN, OC, and Smoke. This launcher can also be used to fire impact rounds, bean bags, and small stinging rubber balls. 12-gauge shotguns can also be used to deliver similar munitions. The Arrest Team may use paintball launchers to tag key offenders for future arrest. By marking such individuals, the Arrest Team can correlate certain disruptive activities with the detained individuals during the booking process.
