UNITED STATES: WASHINGTON POLICE PRACTICE CROWD CONTROL TACTICS IN PREPARATION FOR SEPTEMBER'S ANNUAL IMF MEETINGS IN THE CAPITAL

Record ID: 338218

  • Title: UNITED STATES: WASHINGTON POLICE PRACTICE CROWD CONTROL TACTICS IN PREPARATION FOR SEPTEMBER'S ANNUAL IMF MEETINGS IN THE CAPITAL
  • Date: 23rd August 2001
  • Summary: (U7)LORTON, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 23, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LAS: WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFICERS MARCHING IN FORMATION 0.06 2. TILT UP: POLICE LIEUTENANT SHOUTING "LINE FORMATION" AND HOLDING BATON OVER HEAD 0.10 3. MV: OFFICERS RESPONDING TO COMMANDS, AND MARCHING 0.12 4. SV: LINE OF OFFICERS WALKING TO
  • Embargoed: 7th September 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LORTON, VIRIGNIA, UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA9KEV8WA2JHEWXF42LUNPI7ZAB
  • Story Text: Members of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department
    practised tactics to control the thousands of protesters that
    are expected to converge on Washington, D.C. for the annual
    meetings of the International Monetary Fund, and the World
    Bank in late September.


    The 18 police officers who reported for the
    specialised training on Thursday (August 23) will be part of
    the 7,000 strong police force assembled from federal agencies,
    and municipal departments located from as far away as New York
    City. The deployment is preparing for as many as 100,000
    protesters that could arrive in time for the September 29-30
    meetings at the World Bank, and IMF.

    After a morning of classroom session, during which
    officers were shown video footage of protests, and taught
    about things such as the nonlethal ammunition they might have
    to, the 18 officers who do not specialise in crowd control
    were geared up with shields, batons, gas masks, and riot
    helmets for practical training.

    The District of Coumbia has asked the federal government
    for $30 million to fund security for the meetings, which
    includes initiatives such as fencing, and the closing of city
    blocks in the centre.

    Metropolitan Police officials said that there are 1,700
    officers in Washington who are members of the Civil
    Disturbance Unit - a unit that trains regularly in controlling
    large demonstration situations. The officers who trained on
    Thursday will help to support those officers.

    Increasing violence has marked global summits in Seattle,
    Quebec City, Prague, and more recently in Genoa, Italy.

    Authorities in Washington say that they are familiar with
    dealing with large demonstrations, and have experience in
    similar World Bank and IMF conferences.
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