Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe said she was “surprised” to learn about the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) sniper deployed to watch over the Ezra Avenue St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on Saturday, March 14. 

“I was surprised to learn that the Waterloo Regional Police preparations for the unsanctioned street gathering includes such extreme safety measures,” she said in a statement to Imprint. “While the City of Waterloo and WRPS have a long history of working together for community safety, in our two-tiered municipal system, the Chief does not report to me as Mayor and I don’t sit on the police board.” 

She added that she has spoken with WRPS police chief Mark Crowell for a clearer understanding of the plans they have in place, and that she is confident that police, bylaw, and emergency services continue to take a professional approach to safety.

Mayor McCabe added she intends to follow up with police.

“I still have more questions, as I know residents do, and I will schedule time to meet with Chief Crowell again once the operational period has ended and we have all the details on this year’s event,” she said.

Several partygoers noticed the tactical officer watching over the celebrations, with u/kristianvaula posting a video to the r/uwaterloo Reddit page.

“As an exchange student this was the craziest experience from the St. Paddy[‘]s celebrations,” they wrote as a caption. “I guess there are good reasons why they would need to station that guy up there. My problem is with the horrible muzzle di[s]cipline pointing that thing around like that[.]”

In a statement to Imprint, the WRPS confirmed that tactical officers were positioned in elevated locations to monitor the area and “identify potential safety concerns that may not be visible to officers on the ground.”

They said it was part of a comprehensive safety plan developed with members of the organization’s public order unit and emergency response team. They added that several initiatives were undertaken for safety reasons, including safety barriers to prevent vehicles from dangerously driving into the area.

“The magnitude of unfortunate mass casualty events that have occurred across North America and around the world in recent decades have shaped emergency response strategies for all large gatherings,” said WRPS police chief Mark Crowell. “In accordance with legislated standards for emergency response and public order deployment, our officers effectively managed a large unsanctioned gathering upholding safety for all involved.”

WRPS did not say whether a tactical officer would be deployed on Tuesday, March 17.

With files from Tiffany Wen.