Cleveland Police Chief: ‘No Real Threats’ To GOP Convention Or Police

Demonstrators march by police during the Shut Down Trump & the RNC protest on Sunday, July 17, 2016, in Cleveland. The Republican National Convention starts Monday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Cleveland Chief of Police Calvin Williams discussed security surrounding the Republican National Convention in a press conference Monday, saying that “there have been no real threats, either to the convention or to the city or to the division of police itself.”

When asked about the recent shooting in Dallas that left five police officers dead and seven wounded, Williams answered: “Officers are more keen to things that are happening, and our officers are told to be especially cautious during their tours.”

According to Williams, police have been patrolling in two-officer units since “right after” the Dallas shooting.

The chief also addressed questions about Ohio’s open carry law, which permits protesters and others congregating outside the GOP convention to carry guns. The president of the Cleveland Police Union, Steve Loomis, asked Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) to suspend open carry laws this weekend following the slayings of three more police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, saying that he didn’t “care if it’s constitutional or not.”

Williams said that after a discussion held with the convention’s Executive Steering Committee, its legal team, and an additional legal subcommittee “the determination was made that the governor did not have the power to suspend that particular law.”

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