Has the Dallas Police Shooting Influenced Cleveland Security For Republican National Convention?

The Republican National Convention is coming to Cleveland in just more than one week, and with the recent shootings, particularly the most recent one in Dallas where five police officers were shot dead, there is an even more urgent concern for security.

Deputy Police Chief Ed Tomba, Cleveland's chief of convention security, told Reuters that he has reached out to the police departments from other cities that will be loaning officers to Cleveland during the event to let them know that Cleveland is prepared and that the plan won't work without their help.

"We have got to make some changes without a doubt," Tomba told Reuters in a phone interview.

Around 3,000 police officers from other departments, many from Ohio will join forces with Cleveland's 1,700 officers for the RNC.

Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams outlined some of the existing plans for the RNC earlier this week.

City Councilman Matt Zone, chair of the council's public safety committee, told Cleveland.com that the recent shootings in Dallas will be on everyone's minds during the RNC.

"It's definitely going to have an effect on Cleveland. There's no doubt about it," he said.

What this means beyond the plans laid out by Williams is unclear at this point.

Cleveland officials have said the RNC's event zone will extend past downtown, however, only an unspecified area around Quicken Loans Arena will require identification and ban firearms. Ohio's gun laws allow for the carrying of firearms.

Roger Cressey, a former adviser to the White House who now works at a Washington, D.C.-based security consulting firm, told Cleveland.com that "they're going to be locked down pretty well."

"Nothing says you're serious like a good old-fashioned physical deterrence presence," Cressey said.

Cressey added that political conventions are among the safest events in the country because of the months of security planning involved, other large events such as concerts and sporting events don't have this advantage.

The FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Secret Service and the Ohio National Guard will all be assisting with security during the convention and officers will be stationed on various rooftops around downtown, reports Cleveland.com.

[Image by Joanne, Flickr Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0]