The Tier One Transformation: Exploring the Convergence of the Material and Cultural Indicators of Police Militarization Between Special Forces Units and Police Tactical Units

The proliferation and deployment of police tactical units is an emerging issue in the broader sociopolitical discussion surrounding police reform in Canada. There is a consensus in the literature that tactical units mimic elite military special forces units, but no analyses have thoroughly investigated this link in the Canadian context. To determine whether there is a level visual convergence between tactical and military special forces units, this work engages in a frequency analysis of 203 photographs, taken between 2008 and 2023, depicting the Toronto Police Service’s Emergency Task Force (ETF), the Canadian Forces Infantry, and Canadian and American special forces units. Using the material and cultural indicators of police militarization, the results demonstrate numerous similarities between the ETF and these elite military units on several different indicators. These findings are observed from 2016 onwards, as there was a clear demarcation between the ETF and special forces units prior to this time. This work also engages in a social semiotic analysis to examine the latent meaning of popular representations of the ETF. The analytical construct of the ‘tier one transformation’ is introduced and provides a distinct lens through which militarized policing may be understood. The implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.