Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

The police tactical armored vehicle (TAV) has become the beacon for criticism underpinning police spending, overreach, and police militarization. Consistent with how patrol cruisers indicate police presence, the TAV shows police tactical (TAC) team presence. Missing among contested arguments surrounding police TAVs is an understanding from practitioners as to why the police need the TAV and how it is used to maintain human safety during rapidly unfolding and high-risk calls for service. In response, we analyzed a national sample of 117 semi-structured interviews with police TAC officers to nuance their occupational experience with the TAV and to reveal how the vehicle is crucial during high-risk events to uphold human safety. Implications are discussed both as academic contributions and as applied policy considerations for police services across Canada.

Keywords

Police tactical teams human safety armored vehicle Canada

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alvaro

(2000). Tactical law enforcement in Canada: An exploratory survey of Canadian police agencies. CURVE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22215/etd/2000-04445

Ayotte

(2006). Report to the Minister into the deaths of James Wilbert Galloway and Martin Charles Ostopovich. Government of Alberta. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/ffde0b3d-b1fa-4a17-984d-b1395af104b6/resource/b2224163-8910-4ad8-a381-bd8eede7b03c/download/01132-report-to-minister-into-death-of-james-wilbert-galloway-and-martin-charles-ostopovich.pdf

Bittner

(1974). Florence Nightingale in pursuit of Willie Sutton: A theory of the police. In Jacob

(Ed.), The potential for reform of criminal justice (pp. 17–44). Sage.

Bolduc. (2016). Global insecurity: How risk theory gave rise to global police militarization. Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 23(1), 267. https://doi.org/10.2979/indjglolegstu.23.1.267

Boutiller

(2014). Canada bucking U.S. police militarization trend. Toronto Star. Retrieved November, 27th, from https://www.pressreader.com/canada/toronto-star/20140929/281513634378533

Braden

(1990). A brief history of special weapons and tactics teams: “Necessity, the Mother of Invention!” Sam Houston State University Institutional Repository. https://shsu-ir.tdl.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/54959efa-7bf3-4e89-ae12-5cd7dfe2e088/content

Canadian Press. (2015). Winnipeg Police buy new armoured vehicle, partly because of New Brunswick attack. CityNews Toronto. Retrieved December 1, from https://toronto.citynews.ca/2015/12/09/winnipeg-police-buy-new-armoured-vehicle-partly-because-of-new-brunswick-attack/

Charmaz

K. C.

(2006). Constructing grounded theory. Sage.

Clark

J. G.

Jackson

M. S.

Schaefer

P. M.

Sharpe

E. G.

(2000). Training Swat teams: Implications for improving tactical units. Journal of Criminal Justice, 28(5), 407–413. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0047-2352(00)00055-6

10.

Cyr

Ricciardelli

Spencer

. (2020). Militarization of police: A comparison of police paramilitary units in Canada and the United States. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 22(2), 137–147. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461355719898204

11.

Delehanty

Mewhirter

Welch

Wilks

(2017). Militarization and police violence: The case of the 1033 program. Research & Politics, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2053168017712885

12.

den Heyer

. (2013). Mayberry revisited: A review of the influence of police paramilitary units on policing. Policing & Society, 24(3), 346–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2013.784304

13.

Dubinski

. (2024). Here’s how often, and why, London police use their light armoured vehicle. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/here-s-how-often-and-why-london-police-use-their-light-armoured-vehicle-1.7173434

14.

Drinkwalter report. (1989). Review of tactical units 1989. Ontario Police Commission.

15.

Employment Standards Act, 2000, S.O. 2000, c. 41 (Ont.). https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/00e41

16.

Giddens

(1990). The consequences of modernity. Stanford University Press.

17.

Glaser

B. G.

Strauss

A. L.

(1967). The discovery of grounded theory (pp. 1–18). Aldine Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203793206-1

18.

Issawi

(2020). The armour-plated blue line in Brandon, man. Macleans.ca. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/the-armour-plated-blue-line-in-brandon-man/

19.

Irvine

(2011). Duration, dominance and depth in telephone and face-to-face interviews: A comparative exploration. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 10(3), 202–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940691101000302

20.

Jenkins

Semple

Bennell

Huey

(2021). An exploration of the use of tactical officers in three Canadian police services. The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles, 94(4), 515–538. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258x20962833

21.

Jenkins

Semple

Bennell

(2023). Why are tactical officers responding to ‘routine’ calls? Using police data to examine the presence of risk factors during seemingly low risk incidents. Police Practice and Research, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2023.2282005

22.

Jenkins

Semple

Suss

Bennell

(2024). Primed to use force? A systematic review examining the relationship between tactical experience and use of force. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09647-0

23.

Jenkins

Semple

Bennell

(2025). A measured response? examining the use of specialty resources and tactics adopted by tactical officers. Police Practice and Research, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2025.2470447

24.

Johnston

M. S.

Ricciardelli

Ghodrati

Czarnuch

. (2023). Assessing road to mental readiness (R2MR) training among correctional workers in Canada. Health & Justice, 11(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-023-00206-z

25.

Klinger

D. A.

Rojek

(2008). Multi-methods study of special weapons and tactics teams. Final report submitted to National Institute of Justice.

26.

Kraska

P. B.

(2007). Militarization and policing—Its relevance to 21st century police. Policing, 1(4), 501–513. https://doi.org/10.1093/police/pam065

27.

Kraska

P. B.

(2021). Police militarization 101. In Dunham

R. G.

Alpert

G. P.

McLean

(Eds.), Critical issues in policing: Contemporary readings (8th ed., pp. 445–458). Waveland Press

28.

Kraska

P. B.

Cubellis

L. J.

(1997). Militarizing Mayberry and beyond: Making sense of American paramilitary policing. Justice Quarterly, 14(4), 607–629. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418829700093521

29.

Kraska

P. B.

Kappeler

V. E

. (1997). Militarizing American police: The rise and normalization of paramilitary units. Social Problems, 44(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.2307/3096870

30.

MacNeil

(2014). Independent review – Moncton shooting June 4, 2014 (Report). Royal Canadian Mounted Police. https://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/documents/roundtables/COMM0050842.pdf?t=1759025574

31.

Miller

E. J.

(2023). The concept of the police. Criminal Law and Philosophy, 17(3), 573–595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11572-023-09682-8

32.

National Institute of Justice. (2008). Ballistic resistance of body armour. NIJ Standard-0101.06. Office of Justice Programs. U.S Department of Justice. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/223054.pdf

33.

Neocleous

(2000). The fabrication of social order: A critical theory of police power. Pluto Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt18fs9s7

34.

Pahl

(2011). Public fatality inquiry report: Mayerthorpe RCMP fatality inquiry. Government of Alberta. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/b1360153-b288-41a3-8637-112e0786d79b/resource/5556b599-6eb2-4ec6-bb79-eb19b7eb3bf8/download/2015-fatality-report-mayerthorpercmp.pdf

35.

Pietrocola

Rodrigues

Bercot

Schnorr

(2020). Risk society and science education. Science & Education, 30(2), 209–233. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-020-00176-w

36.

Public Services and Procurement Canada. (2025). Tactical armoured vehicle. CanadaBuys. https://canadabuys.canada.ca/en/tender-opportunities/contract-history/ws4061728670-cw2319492-acm170827776-002

37.

Public Safety Canada. (2020). Militarization of police. Public Safety Canada. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/prlmntry-bndrs/20200930/034/index-en.aspx

38.

Ricciardelli

Clow

K. A.

White

. (2010). Investigating hegemonic masculinity: Portrayals of masculinity in men’s lifestyle magazines. Sex Roles, 63(1–2), 64–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9764-8

39.

Roziere

Walby

(2018). The expansion and normalization of police militarization in Canada. Critical Criminology, 26(1), 29–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-017-9378-3

40.

Roziere

Walby

(2019). Special weapons and tactics teams in Canadian policing: Legal, institutional, and economic dimensions. Policing and Society, 30(6), 704–719. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2019.1586899

41.

Roziere

Walby

(2020). Analyzing the law of police dynamic entry in Canada. Queen’s Law Journal | Canli. 46:1. https://www.canlii.org/en/commentary/doc/2020CanLIIDocs4157

42.

R v Ruiz, 2018 ONSC 5452 [Ruiz].

43.

R v Bahlawan, 2020 ONSC 952 [Bahlawan].

44.

R. v. RCMP, (2017). R. v. Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 2000 CanLII 5365 (NS SC).

45.

Strauss

Corbin

J. M.

(1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Sage Publications, Inc.

46.

Thompson

(2020). Police across Canada test out military equipment at private supplier ‘Range Day’. Available at: https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/police-across-canada-test-out-military-equipment-at-private-supplier-range-day

47.

Towns

Ricciardelli

Cyr

. (2023). How emergency response teams access tactical armoured vehicles in Canada. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 25(4), 459–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/14613557231182298

48.

Towns

Ricciardelli

Cyr

. (2024). The uniforms of police emergency response team’s: A research note. International Criminal Justice Review, 35(1), 74–91 https://doi.org/10.1177/10575677241282011

49.

Towns

Ricciardelli

. (2024). How practical is tactical? Political sociology, militarization, and police tactical teams in Canada. The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles, 98(2), 324–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X241280212

50.

Wozniak

K. H.

Drakulich

K. M.

Calfano

B. R.

(2021). Public opinion about police weapons and equipment: An exploratory analysis. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 32(9), 960–991. https://doi.org/10.1177/08874034211005005

“It’s imperative. We can’t do it,without it”: Why Do the Police Need Tactical Armored Vehicles in Canada?

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References