Final law enforcement preparations are underway for next week’s Republican National Convention.
In a demonstration of capabilities this morning, the Cleveland Police Department showed off its bomb squad unit, mounted police, bike officers, canine unit, and motorcycle police. They’re among the nearly 3000 officers who will handle security during the RNC.
Bomb Disposal Bot
Outside of Cleveland’s Public Auditorium, a bomb squad officer drove the unit's large bomb disposal robot down the stairs and on the sidewalk. Bomb squad officer Tim Maffo-Judd discussed the capabilities of the robot:
"This is just a demonstration of some of the abilities we have as a bomb squad so I can keep my fingers and toes in case of the need. So if a threat arises and I need to go down and do something about it, this is our front line vehicle"
Officer Maffo-Judd later talked about the training his unit has received in preparation for the RNC.
"We’ve done some advanced training, you know, with the FBI. Our special agent bomb technicians in the FBI, we work hand-in hand with. And they’re really phenomenal people, they are super smart, and they keep us on our toes."
Tri-C ScoutBot
Along with the larger bomb disposal robot, the squad is also equipped with a smaller ‘scout’ bot designed and built by students at Tri-C’s Youth Technology Academy. This smaller robot, roughly the size of a larger remote control toy car, will be used to scout out potential hazards before sending in the disposal bot. A collaboration between the CPD and the Youth Technology Academy, students built the six-wheeled all-terrain “YTA ScoutBot” with spare parts and a $500 contribution from the police department.