CLEVELAND, Ohio–Two thousand five hundred police officers from more than a dozen states joined five hundred of Cleveland’s finest and three thousand federal law enforcement officers to provide security at the Republican National Convention here this week, according to local media reports.
Walking in groups of five to ten, police officers from California, Indiana, Maine, Delaware, Michigan, Columbus, Ohio, Memphis, Tennessee, and several other states patrolled the cordoned off areas of downtown Cleveland reserved for the GOP proceedings.
In order to be legally authorized to enforce the law while providing public security at the convention, all the officers from other states were sworn in as members of the City of Cleveland Police Force.
With the exception of one protest that shut down an entrance gate for half an hour on Wednesday, the overwhelming police presence appears to have been very successful at providing a safe and secure environment for the estimated 50,000 visitors brought to Cleveland by the Republican National Convention.
One officer with the California Highway Patrol told Breitbart News that his organization alone brought three hundred law enforcement officers to Cleveland for the week.
In addition to walking patrols, police officers from Cleveland and Columbus formed a fifty person bike patrol that was seen frequently riding in a disciplined formation around downtown Cleveland, calling out directional and other commands as they peddled.
On at least one occasion, mounted police were in force downtown also.
In April, the city of Cleveland obtained a $49.9 million “National Special Security Event” federal grant from the Department of Justice to enhance security for the convention. A portion of those funds were used to bring the additional two thousand five hundred police officers in from other states.
The city of Philadelphia, which will be hosting the Democratic Nationa Convention next week, received a $43 million “National Special Security Event” federal grant from the Department of Justice for convention security as well.
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