LTC 160-2003CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No.
To:
From:
Subject:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez 1
City Manager
FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS SUMMIT (FTAA)
Data: July 11,2003
This Letter to the Commission is to provide information on the Frae Trade Area of the
Americas Summit (FTAA). This enormous event will take place in the City of Miami from
November 17 through November 21, 2003. A paramount concern is that if the
demonstrators find the City of Miami's security efforts to be too daunting, they will look for
easier targets in the surrounding municipalities, specifically the cities of Coral Gables and
Miami Beach. As the City of Miami Beach is home to many international businesses,
demonstrations and attempts at disrupting traffic ara possible.
The Miami Beach Police Department is fully involved in developing plans to mitigate the
FTAA's impact on the City of Miami Beach. The Police Department's plans include
aggrassive intelligence gathering, multi-agency operational meetings, the commitment of a
Field Force Team and a contingency of SWAT members to the City of Miami Police
Department, specialized training and the procurement of the necessary equipment.
Pertinent information is being gathered from a wide range of sources including the Miami-
Dade Police Department, Internet sites, and law enforcement agencies in cities that have
hosted similar events. Field Force Commanders were also sent to Washington D.C. to
personally observe the volatility of similar demonstrations. As new information is
developed, it is incorporated into the Police Department's comprahensive training program.
This training program includes tactics designed to prevent "Anarchists" demonstrators from
blocking major thoroughfaras (Cut Teams), less than lethal weaponry ( i.e. bean-bag
rounds, sponge-batons, and pepperball projectiles), and advanced crowd control
techniques using bicycles, motorcycles and outside rasources.
The Police Department will also mobilize in the alpha/bravo (12 hour shifts) configuration
for the duration of the event. Potential specific targets in the City will be identified and
multiple contingency traffic plans are being developed. As the event draws nearer, further
information will be provided. As always, ensuring the safety of the citizens and property in
our City.~ill remain our top priority.
JMG\E~\CN\tr
c: Donald W. De Lucca, Chief of Police
F:~POLI~Z)MI~$CHI~002~LTC FTAA.doc