Convention cities adjust security plans after Dallas
CLEVELAND — Rising tensions after the deadly ambush of police officers in Dallas and subsequent protests nationwide have led Cleveland and Philadelphia to adjust security plans for the national political conventions.
Cleveland, where the Republican National Convention is to begin Monday, has moved up the activation of a tip line for reporting suspicious activity, police Chief Calvin Williams said.
Security plans have been “ramped up” because of last week’s deadly Dallas shootings at the end of a march to protest the fatal shooting of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, he said.
“We’re going to make sure we stay vigilant,” Williams said. “But we also want to make sure that we ask the community to remain vigilant.”
The Dallas attack killed five officers and wounded seven of them and two civilians.
There have been no credible reports of threats against officers in Cleveland or the surrounding region, Williams said. But adding to concerns over security is Ohio’s status as an open carry state, meaning it’s legal to carry a gun in the open without a permit.
One supporter of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, has already asked Cleveland march participants to be mindful of the message that carrying weapons might convey.
“We really don’t want people to bring long guns,” said Tim Selaty Sr., lead organizer for Citizens for Trump.
In Philadelphia, where the Democratic convention begins July 25, Police Commissioner Richard Ross said the Dallas shootings have “required that we do things different tactically,” although, like Cleveland’s police chief, he declined to elaborate on specific strategies.
One Philadelphia group’s police protests grew hostile in recent days, with anti- police chants and at least one speaker praising the Dallas gunman. That group, the Philly Coalition for REAL Justice, has sought a permit for a march in downtown Philadelphia on the second day of the convention. It’s still pending. But a lack of official permission to demonstrate will not stop them or anyone else from protesting; police say the lack of a permit alone will not result in arrests.
Philadelphia’s police approach includes having on- scene leadership at every level to “remind men and women in uniform to remain patient, professional and maintain their resolve,” Ross said.
Even before Dallas, Cleveland’s convention raised concerns about the potential for violent clashes between Trump supporters and opponents.
On Monday, Trump predicted more violence.
“I mean, you were having big, big trouble in many cities,” he said. “And I think that might be just the beginning for this summer.”