CLEVELAND — The Republican National Convention is only 12 days away, but Steve Loomis, President of Cleveland’s Police Union, says the officers are not ready.
Loomis sent out a letter on Wednesday; in it he encouraged his officers to do whatever it takes to protect people during the RNC. He said the city hasn’t given officers adequate training or equipment ahead of the convention.
Read Loomis’ entire letter here.
“They’re counting on the fact that these men and women are going to go into harm’s way. They’re gonna do the absolute best that they can do, and they’re gonna get the job done,” Loomis told Fox 8.
Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams posted a message that does not specifically address Loomis’ letter.
It says, in part, his “officers have undergone hours of training relative to many subjects” and although he can’t discuss many training tactics, “the training has been both comprehensive and valuable.”
Chief Williams says about a third of Cleveland’s police officers will be assigned to RNC duties, and the rest will continue to patrol neighborhoods in the city.
Fifty thousand people are expected in Cleveland for the RNC; many of them will be protesters. Loomis fears that a general police order governing how officers should react in times of unrest could mean trouble for his officers.
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