Cleveland Is Stocking Up On Riot Gear Ahead Of The Republican National Convention

By aaroncynic in News on Mar 7, 2016 3:40PM

The City of Cleveland, Ohio plans to purchase 2,000 sets of riot gear in the lead up to hosting the 2016 Republican National Convention. Purchasing documents published by Cleveland.com show the city is looking for a laundry list of crowd control equipment, including full body riot suits, riot gear wearable for police on bicycles and 26-inch collapsable batons, along with thousands of interlocking steel barricades.

The request for bids comes after the city received a $50 million federal security grant that’s become common for cities hosting large political events. Chicago was awarded a similar grant of $55 million in 2012 ahead of the NATO summit that took place in May 2012, and Philadelphia, which will play host to the Democratic National Convention, was awarded $50 million. Events like these are considered “National Special Security Events,” making them eligible for federal funding.

In addition, the City of Cleveland has also sought to flesh out its police equipment with hundreds of bicycles, 15 motorcycles, and two trailers for horses.