'We were challenged at the time': Windsor police leaders reflect on the Ambassador Bridge blockade, one year later
One year ago, local law enforcement were tasked with handling an unprecedented incident, the Ambassador Bridge blockade.
“If it would happen now, we would act more quickly. We were challenged at a time with resources and lack of legislation,” reflected Jason Crowley, Windsor police Deputy Chief.
On Feb. 7, 2022, a vehicle convoy along with protestors blocked access to the Ambassador Bridge, demanding an end to COVID-19 restrictions.
Windsor Police were aware a protest was planned for that day but could not confirm specific details of the plan.
“It was difficult to know what was coming. We didn't know how many, we didn't know how they would do it. So that was the challenge for us,” said Crowley.
Crowley says a lack of resources prevented law enforcement from stopping vehicles from entering the area to protest. He adds, the nature of Huron Church Road made it difficult to completely block off the area to potential protesters ahead of time.
“You have side streets all the way down. For us to block off every street from the 401 to the bridge would have been so resource intensive. We still had a city to police,” said Crowley.
He says their initial focus was to manage the protest until Windsor Police received additional back up from provincial, federal and nearby municipal police agencies.
On Feb. 9, the OPP took over as the lead agency responding to the blockade.
“When the OPP came in, we worked very well together, a very smooth transition. It was a success story,” said Crowley.
Police say it was difficult to reach an understanding with protesters given their unstructured leadership.
“There were number of segmented groups. They were making decisions jointly, other times independently, and sometimes making decisions that thwarted another,” said Karel Degraff, Windsor Police superintendent.
On Feb. 11, an injunction was issued by Superior Court but protesters refused to leave and police did not immediately move in.
“There were still children on site. We wanted to do everything to mitigate our response and make sure that our presence and level of force that was going to be used was the absolute minimum,” said Degraff.
Police waited until the morning of Feb 13 when large crowds had dispersed to dismantle the remaining protesters.
“It didn’t make sense for us to escalate the situation with a very large crowd. As the crowds diminished, that's how we executed the plan,” said Degraff.
Moving forward, local law enforcement leaders believe they have the proper experience and tactical plans to deal with future protests or similar incidents. Windsor Police is in the exploring the possibility of creating a public order unit.
“The big twelve police agencies in the province, most of them have public order units. We're modelling ourselves after the provincial model,” said Crowley.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.