Some 200 local law enforcement officers will be patrolling the streets of downtown Tampa during the Republican National Convention, and this week 26 officers and deputies from five of the local agencies that will comprise the RNC Bike Patrol are undergoing intensive training for the experience.
Wednesday morning in Tampa, part of that training took place along the steps leading from the north side of the Tampa Riverwalk up to the front of Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center.
During the convention, police squads of between 10-15 officers will team together to traverse parts of downtown that will be more accessible than if they were in a patrol car. But Hillsborough County Sheriff's Captain Kyle Cockream said they weren't an exclusive group looking to stop protests that might get out of hand during the convention.
"We've heard some things about some people who try to cause some civil unrest, but we've looked into that extensively and I'm comfortable in saying that's going to be a very few minority of people that actually come to the Tampa Bay area for the RNC, and we'll be prepared for that," he told reporters.
This article appears in Mar 22-28, 2012.