Police, protesters both credited with restraint at convention

protesters alike were credited with showing restraint and courtesy.

The rallies and marches that some feared would result in violence and mass disruptions instead brought a festival-like atmosphere at times to City Hall and Broad Street.

“I’m very happy so far with everyone,” Police Commissioner Richard Ross said. He said his officers “took pride in what they did all week. Very patient, tolerant and courteous is what I was hearing from a lot of people.”

Mary Catherine Roper, deputy legal director of Pennsylvania’s American Civil Liberties Union, said the department’s hands-off approach helped keep things calm.

“This is what it looks like when you just let people get their message out: lots of expression and very little conflict,” she said.

As of Thursday afternoon, in addition to the 11 people arrested, about 100 protesters had been ticketed and fined. The ticketed demonstrators were briefly detained, their hands zip-tied behind their backs, but weren’t technically arrested.

Less than two months before the convention, the city passed legislation allowing police to write the equivalent of traffic tickets instead of making criminal arrests for many nuisance crimes, such as disorderly conduct, blocking a street and failure to disperse.

“I think it’s helped,” the police commissioner said. “What it does for us is that it gets people in and out of our hands. We’re able to get people back on those lines and keep things moving. I’m sure people appreciate being written up for a citation and handed a bottle of water.”

During the Republican convention in Cleveland last week, a heavy police presence and fewer than expected protesters helped authorities maintain order. Only about two dozen arrests were made.