Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: MAY 2016 31 T hese days you hear a lot about “reality-based training.” Well it doesn’t get more real than the un- rest, violence and general mayhem so far surrounding the 2016 election year. The stuff we’ve seen at Trump rallies and elsewhere could actually just be a warm up. If you’re old enough to remember the DNC in Chicago in 1968, some very ugly history could be repeat- ing itself in no time flat. The Republican National Convention will be held this July in Cleveland. If you want to know what a massive enforcement chal- lenge looks like – this is it. But confidence is high in law enforcement ranks that police will be up to the chal- lenge. As a matter of fact, some agencies are looking at the potentially combustible con- vention as a training oppor- tunity. Yakima, Washington Capt. Gary Jones commands the police department’s patrol division. He’s been invited to bring his team to the RNC on Cleveland’s dime. “It’s a paid training op- portunity,” Jones said of the offer to work with Cleveland police to provide security at the convention. If things work out, ten Yakima police officers could find themselves in the mix in Cleveland this summer at what’s shaping up as one of the most explosive political conventions in U.S. history. The proposed contract, a result of an invitation from the Cleveland Police Department, would cover the Yakima officers’ salaries, travel and lodging expenses and is being vetted by City Council members and at- torneys, said Capt. Gary Jones, who commands the police department’s patrol division. So why would 10 cops from out of state be flying to train and provide security for such a major event in Ohio? It all started last year in Officers flying to RNC for reality-based training Seattle, when Jones and two other officers assisted that city’s police with security for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington state. The event gave Yakima police some valuable expe- rience in terms of how to handle large-scale events. When Yakima police asked Seattle for more help in getting valuable crowd control experience, Seattle officials put Yakima in touch with the Cleveland police. Cleveland police were happy to help out and said they’d pay for eight patrol officers, a sergeant and a lieutenant to fly in and assist with the convention. Who could resist a free training opportunity in this day and age? That being said, the folks coming down from Yakima should plan on bringing their A-game. As Trump fans become emboldened and critics become desperate, violence is sure to increase – especially at the Republican National Convention.