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Republican National Convention: Cleveland Focuses On Security After Nice Attack [Video]

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 00:52 PST, Jul 17, 2016

The Republican National Convention in Cleveland is more secure today. Event organizers and law enforcement have worked together to double-down on security measures following Thursday’s devastating attack in Nice, France. In that incident, which occurred on Bastille Day, over 80 people were killed and hundreds more injured when a man turned his tractor trailer into a weapon, driving it through a crowd of holiday revelers.

As Fox News reports, security experts working at and around the Republican National Convention in Cleveland beefed up security around the event site. On Friday, they added crowd-protecting measures, including tall metal fences and concrete dividers, to keep vehicles away from convention-goers.

According to reports, organizers and law enforcement have considered large vehicles, such as the one used to wreak such carnage in Nice, as potential threats to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland almost since organizers began planning for the event. However, in the wake of the deadly Nice attack, the threat has been getting much more attention as the start of the Republican National Convention looms.

Reportedly, security and event organizers made the decision to add the concrete barriers and fences to the area around the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, where the Republican National Convention will be taking place beginning July 18, before the attack in France. However, following the Nice attack, at least one Secret Service agent told the media that the barriers would be installed without delay.

When preparing for the Republican National Convention, security officials admit that their focus on vehicles was largely centered on preventing them from being used as bombs. When security for the Cleveland event was in its initial planning stages, officials were aiming to prevent a terror attack similar to the Oklahoma City attack of 1995 or the World Trade Center attack of 1993.

Jason Porter, the vice president for the central region of security provider Pinkerton, confirmed that dealing with nefarious vehicles was always part of the Republican National Convention planning.

“A vehicle-borne attack is always something you’re concerned about.”

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Event organizers have yet to comment regarding whether or not the Nice truck attack had a direct impact on security plans for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland or if the horrific Bastille Day brutality changed plans for the handling of the event. Earlier this week, however, (before the Nice attack), organizers confirmed that the police shootings that occurred earlier this month did change the way security at the Cleveland convention was being managed.

Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams admitted to the media that the security plans for the Republican National Convention were changed after the Dallas police shootings; however, he would not go into detail about the changes that had been implemented leading up to the convention.

“Cleveland is prepared. We invite people to come here enjoy the convention, exercise your constitutional rights and we’re here to assist you in doing that.”

All in all, security at the Republican National Convention will be handled by 74 different agencies. The Cleveland security efforts will be coordinated and managed by the Secret Service.

“Every event has some incident. The key is: do you have a good plan in place? Do you have good leadership that can adapt and be flexible to whatever is thrown your way? And I’m confident that here in Cleveland we have that.”

Despite the apparent confidence of those working (and organizing) security for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, many event attendees and political pundits are on edge. People are concerned that something could go terribly wrong, particularly in the aftermath of the Nice attack, and particularly in the midst of such a contentious political landscape in the United States. Media and law enforcement agencies alike have warned the public that violent riots and protests are likely during the event.

What do you think? Do people in the city have anything to worry about? Can the security team for the Republican National Convention keep Cleveland’s citizens and visitors alike safe?

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

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