Glen Reid, director of public safety at Clarion University, and three of her officers, Sergeants Marcy Trombetta, Eric Grafton, and Frank Remmick, assisted Carnegie Mellon University and the City of Pittsburgh with security during the G-20 Partnership, the biggest gathering of international leaders in Western Pennsylvania history, Sept. 24-25.
Glen Reid, director of public safety
“Tom Ogden, director of public safety at Carnegie Mellon, called and asked for our help along with the help of several other State System of Higher Education public safety offices,” said Reid. “After clearance by Clarion University President Joseph Grunenwald, legal counsel, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office, we were approved to participate.”
Reid and her officers were the security team for Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, and Austria President Heinz Fischer during the dinner held at Phipps Conservatory. They also were on the streets on Thursday when protestors pushed burning dumpsters are the police locations.
“All officers were assigned to details,” explained Reid. “We covered Gates’ motorcade during his lecture at Carnegie Mellon University and his attendance at the Phipps dinner. Local police escorted them to and from the airport.”
Clarion University’s Public Safety officers all meet the qualifications and training needed for this security assignment. It was the first time Clarion University officers participated in such a large cooperative mission.
“I had a hard time choosing who should go, because my officers are all so well prepared,” said Reid. “I have worked with the U.S. Secret Service many times and I thought it would be nice to let my sergeants have that experience.”
Over 4,500 police and law enforcement agencies provided security for the summit. The federal government provides the funding to cover the security. Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl swore in all law enforcement officials prior to the summit.
Officers were assigned 12-hour shifts, some of which extended to 18 hours depending on what was happening. There were y also unexpected activities, such as Trombetta’s conversation with former Pittsburgh Steelers owner and now U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney.
“This was really a good experience for my officers,” said Reid. “My officers were fantastic. They got a chance to see how other departments functioned and how multiple departments can accomplish one mission. It was an opportunity to get a little more in tune with other departments and plane for more future interaction.”
Toward that end, Reid reported that plans are being made for a joint training exercise with Carnegie Mellon University, with Clarion University Public Safety providing shooter training and Carnegie Mellon Public Safety providing technology training.
The G-20 brings together important industrial and emerging-market countries from all regions of the world. Together, the G-20 member countries represent around 90 per cent of global gross national product, 80 per cent of world trade (including EU intra-trade) as well as two-thirds of the world’s population. The G-20’s economic weight and broad membership gives it a high degree of legitimacy and influence over the management of the global economy and financial system.
The G-20 is made up of the finance ministers and central bank governors of 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States of America.
The European Union, who is represented by the rotating Council presidency and the European Central Bank, is the 20th member of the G-20. To ensure global economic for a and institutions work together, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the President of the World Bank, plus the chairs of the International Monetary and Financial Committee and Development Committee of the IMF and World Bank, also participate in G-20 meetings on an ex-officio basis.