CLEVELAND — A security fence was placed around the perimeter of Justice Center, located at 1300 Ontario St., ahead of Tuesday's presidential debate in Cleveland, which takes place tonight about 5 miles away in University Circle.
The presence of barricades around downtown are just some of the many security measures the city and police are putting in place for the debate.
The Ohio National Guard was spotted on Monday near Public Square.
.@OHNationalGuard in #Cleveland for the Presidential #Debates pic.twitter.com/E46rsyCvZK
— Kevin Barry (@KevinBarryTV) September 28, 2020
"They do a great job, basically, as back-up. But, this is important. So we thank the guard, the men and women of the Guard, who will be deployed there," Gov. Mike DeWine said last week when Cleveland requested that the national guard be available.
Security preparations have been in the works for more than a month and plans to keep the candidates and the city safe include hundreds of law enforcement officers and help from the National Guard and the United States Secret Service.
The FBI has put agents on standby and agents are currently working to identify threats.
"What May 30 taught us is that peaceful protests can go in a different direction in a short period of time," said Eric Smith, Special Agent in Charge Cleveland FBI.
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