Toronto police want to keep 52 of the 77 surveillance cameras they temporarily purchased for the G20 summit, more than tripling the force’s stock of CCTV equipment.

They would buy them back at half price from the federal government, which is footing the bill for G20 security.

The police also plan to buy back 400 of 5,200 sets of tactical safety gear, including helmets, gas masks and eye shields, as well as the three sound-cannon LRADs police acquired leading up to the summit.

These temporary mega events are commonly exploited to purchase expensive and controversial military weaponry and surveillance equipment that may otherwise not be permitted by the public and local budgets. It is understandable that these groups would be reluctant to return these devices and or dismantle new surveillance networks.

Stephen Graham discusses this in Cities Under Siege, the key book of military urbanism.

The Ontario Ombudsman report has also been released, condemning the the summit's mass civil rights violations. It is available here.