CDP preps responders for 2020 Republican National Convention

More than 70 law enforcement specialists from North Carolina attended CDP non-resident training this week to enhance their skills in advance of the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte.

The responders participated in Field Force Operations Training, where they learned how to effectively and safely control crowds and demonstrations. The training was conducted over four days at Charlotte’s Police and Fire Academy on the south side of the city.

The training is important since Charlotte expects the convention in late August to draw tens of thousands of visitors to the Spectrum Center, the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and other venues in the area.

The training is also nothing new for the CDP.  The CDP routinely supports states and local jurisdictions and helps them ‘bridge their capability gaps’ as they prepare to host National Special Security Events such as Republican and Democratic National Conventions, presidential inaugurations, and the Super Bowl.  National Special Security Events draw large crowds and television audiences and are considered by the Department of Homeland Security to be prime targets for terrorism or other criminal activity.  

This week’s training was only a fraction of the training the CDP has provided to responders from North Carolina the past couple of years, some in direct preparation for the convention.

Since the start of 2018, the CDP has delivered training to nearly 2,400 responders from the state. The training has been conducted not only at sites across North Carolina but at the CDP campus in Anniston, AL, and it has involved responders from a range of disciplines, from law enforcement and medical specialists to firefighters and emergency managers.