Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association President Stephen Loomis tells ABC News that the association’s lawyers are drafting a letter to Governor Kasich asking for emergency executive action to ban open carry in Cleveland, if not all of Cuyahoga County, during the RNC convention.
Loomis also adds that safety of Cleveland Police Officers is not a priority during the convention saying if it was a priority, officers would be in riot gear, would not be on patrols solo (saying that they should be doubled or tripled up), and that officers would not be on patrol of the city without cars.
Emmalee Kalmbach, a spokeswoman for Governor Kasich, responded:
Law enforcement is a noble, essential calling and we all grieve that we've again seen attacks on officers. Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested. The bonds between our communities and police must be reset and rebuilt--as we're doing in Ohio--so our communities and officers can both be safe. Everyone has an important role to play in that renewal.
