THANK YOU Cleveland Police Dept. and partners!!!

During the RNC this week, Cleveland has been crawling with paid protesters hoping to disrupt proceedings, but such efforts have been thus far mostly unsuccessful. Prior to RNC week, and having attended two meetings with presentations from law enforcement, Secret Service, and FBI, I was concerned that Cleveland was still vulnerable. This blog post is to say that no matter what happens tomorrow, Clevelanders owe an enormous thank you to the planning and preparations by Cleveland Police Dept. and its law enforcement partners.

Cleveland Tea Party’s roving photographer, Pat Dooley, took photographs today of many of the LEOs, and spoke for all of us when he thanked them for their service and efforts to keep us safe. You’ll see photographs of local and visiting police, mounted police, highway patrols, and others from Ohio State University, Cleveland Clinic, California, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Austin TX, Florida, Georgia, Ohio National Guard, and many others. (scroll down for photographs or visit the entire album here.

THANK YOU Cleveland Police Dept. and partners!!!

UPDATE at 8:30pm: Geraldo is on O’Reilly at Fox giving credit to Gov. John Kasich for the successful security plans and measures in Cleveland. Whaaaaa  huuuhhhh??? Kasich had NOTHING to do with this! Kasich couldn’t even see his way clear to come to The Q to welcome the delegates to the Convention on Monday in his own state. It’s the Cleveland Police Dept. and FBI and Secret Service and law enforcement partners that deserve our gratitude.

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Republican National Committee: Cleveland prepares (more photos)

More photographs by Pat J. Dooley Photography of barricades, equipped policemen, National Guard troops, speaker areas, media, hizzoner the Mayor and Valarie McCall (who chaired the meetings for those who work and live in the Event Zone) on E. 4th St., automobile security checkpoints, CPD bike patrols, and the GOP elephant mascot in front of the Marriott, where the delegates from Texas are staying.  

Click here for the rest of Pat Dooley's Sunday photo album.

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After Dallas: More security needed during RNC week

photo credit: pinterest.com

The Dallas shootings were horrific. How many citizens are aware that the murders of 5 cops were in part fueled by a false narrative of the Minnesota shooting that was promoted in the media. The misreporting of those circumstances  amounts to yet another instance of media malpractice.  The media has blood on its hands. 

And now there is more bad news from St. Paul (Black Lives Matter violence) and San Antonio (police under attack). What are the prospects for a violence-free RNC week in Cleveland? Not looking good.

On June 30, the convention committee published a news release that lists the various law enforcement and public safety agencies working on the RNC week. The good news: I am relieved to see that among the participating partners is The Ohio National Guard. I did not see any out-of-state National Guard units on the list, so that remains a question. Nor did I see that Mayor Jackson requested that Gov. Kasich actually activate the Ohio National Guard so they can be in place if/when needed. No good if it takes over 24 hours after the rioting begins to transport and put them where they were needed.

Thus far, I can find no report that the Ohio National Guard has been activated in advance. There is ample precedence for activating National Guard troops in advance for emergency preparations (e.g., here and here). It's my question for Tuesday's meeting at the Convention Center with, among others, CPD.

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Can federal agencies protect Cleveland?

photo credit: cleveland.com

Security and safety measures for downtown Cleveland during the Republican National Convention are planned and implemented by local, state, and federal agencies. Personnel from Cleveland Police Dept., Cleveland Fire Dept., Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Dept., state troopers from Michigan and Wisconsin, etc, are working with the Secret Service, the FBI, and FEMA, among other agencies. (Background reports are here and here.)

Just how effective are the federal agencies? Mr. Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds, published a few sobering thoughts in his USA article “FBI's reputation crumbles with Clinton email fumble.” An excerpt:

the FBI is just one of many federal agencies whose reputation for professionalism has taken a hit during the Obama years. The IRS, complicit in targeting Tea Party groups for their political views, is one. The Secret Service, which has figured in numerous sexual scandals and failures to protect, is another. And, in fact, the notion of a “non-partisan” and competent civil service has taken quite a knock, as one agency after another has seemed ready, willing and able to be compromised by politics.

Politicians have a short-term focus, seldom looking past the next election. But for those of us with a longer view, this is a serious problem. As The Atlantic recently noted, trust in government is collapsing around the world. The reason for this, I’m afraid, is that government isn’t trustworthy. 

I will be going to the meeting next week at Cleveland Public Auditorium to hear the updates from law enforcement and other personnel. My list of questions already includes: does CPD intend to deputize, say, any Oath Keepers? Has there been any communication with the Ohio National Guard? Is Gov. Kasich prepared to activate the compact to request National Guard troops from other states?

Am I overly concerned? Well, I was living in Cleveland during the race riots of 1968 and passed armed National Guard troops in jeeps or on foot on just about every street corner heading into downtown. I remember feeling safer because of their presence. Maybe I am overly worried about everyone’s safety during RNC week, but some of the reports and the list of organizations sending in paid protesters make me think that, to paraphrase Miss Piggy, too much preparation is never enough.

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