Police departments are backing out of working the Republican National Convention, just days after Cleveland's police chief admitted they're not at full force for the convention.
The city reportedly needs 5,000 officers to police the RNC. They've had to search the nation to secure the man power.
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said Wednesday that they're not fully staffed, with less than two months until the convention.
"We're not at full strength, where we want to be, but we are very close. Everyday I sign agreements with outside agencies to come and secure the convention," Chief Williams said.
But department also continue to publicly announce they're backing out.
Last week, Middlefield, in Geauga County, told Newsnet5.com that they won't partner with Cleveland. Their chief said they can't take the risk of personal injury to officers.
This week, Cincinnati police confirmed they will not partner with Cleveland, citing insurance concerns.
Greensboro, North Carolina backed out Friday. One of their deputy chief's, Brian Adams, said they had more than one reason to cancel their out-of-state partnership.
"We hoped that at this point in the process, we would have more information," he said.
Adams explained that Cleveland still hasn't clarified what partnering officers will do, where they will stay, and what the expectation is from the department.
According to the deputy chief, just this past week, Cleveland police told them every officer would need a physical before coming to the city.
"Which is something we had not been made aware of. That's an expense," he said.
"Your department has helped police political conventions in the past. Is the preparation here standard?" Newsnet5.com asked.
"Having had a little bit of experience preparing for an event like that, we didn't feel like we were at the same place as we were in the past," Adams said.
Newsnet5.com asked Cleveland Police for a comment on this. The City of Cleveland responded with this statement:
The concerns Greensboro raised in their memo are factually inaccurate. The decision by a police department to withdraw from an event like this is not uncommon. The City of Cleveland signs agreements other police departments to send officers to Cleveland on a regular basis. This is not a set-back and will not impact the City of Cleveland's ability to properly secure the Convention.
