In a video sent today to the dozens of law enforcement agencies that will be working with Tampa and Hillsborough County officials during this summer's Republican National Convention, Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor and Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee discuss what they'll be doing to make conditions hospitable for the 3,000 agents — such as lighter uniforms and water and food stations throughout the city.
But the thrust of the three-minute video is how to deal with "anarchists" that will be "bent on disruption."
In the past, incidents of police brutality and false imprisonment have marred political conventions and other high-profile events involving national and/or world leaders (such as the NATO summit that took place in Chicago last month). That's why the City of Tampa is about to go before City Council to get approval for a police-liability insurance policy.
But on the video, Gee and Castor declare confidently that no such accusations will be made about law enforcement at this convention.
Chief Castor says that's because local law enforcement will be "smarter, highly trained, and better equipped than these lawbreakers. And most importantly, we are more patient. It is their intent to bait us into using force against them so it can be captured on videotape and shown to the world as excessive force. But we will be very calculated in our response to ensure it is strategic and controlled."
This article appears in Jun 21-27, 2012.