Dogs and helicopters. Bikes and mounted patrol units. Cops up high and on the street. In downtown Cleveland, the massive police presence is hard to miss.
Thousands of police officers from hundreds of departments from across the Ohio and the country are in Cleveland to help Cleveland Police with the task of protecting visitors, delegates and protestors at the Republican National Convention.
Police said they have been working on the security plan for more than a year. So far, it appears to be working. There has been just one arrest in connection to the RNC. It happened on Sunday when a man took a gas mask from a state trooper, said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams.
There are several command centers set up in and around Cleveland where law enforcement is working together to share critical information. The FBI has a command center set up. That is where more than 40 departments are sharing space and intelligence about the RNC.
It is also where calls from the hotline calls come in and calls for suspicious activity have been coming into the center. Special Agent Vicki Anderson said the information is quickly shared with the agency involved and leads are followed immediate.
"Our role is to plan for the worst case scenario," added Anderson. The Cleveland Office of the FBI has support staff in town to help if needed.
Law enforcement is again asking the pubic to say something, if you see something suspicious. Call the RNC hotline with information, the number is 1-800-CALL-FBI.
