When it comes time for RNC security in Charlotte, the city already has a model

The security perimeter for the Republican National Convention in Charlotte this August will echo the road closures and checkpoints from 2012, when the city hosted the Democratic National Convention.

But detailed security plans won’t be released until “some time in the summer,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney told the City Council Monday evening. CMPD is working jointly with U.S Secret Service, Putney said.

“We have a head start because of the work we did (in 2012),” Putney said. “Nobody will be surprised by the impact to their business or to their operations because those conversations are already underway.”

The convention is Aug. 24-27.

For the DNC, nearly 30 streets had restricted traffic access or were closed. Sections of the John Belk Freeway also were shut down, affecting tens of thousands of vehicles.

In Putney’s presentation to the City Council, he said Charlotte’s recruitment efforts for additional police officers and volunteers is going “much better” than he had anticipated.

Charlotte is poised to receive a $50 million grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance for hosting the RNC at the Spectrum Center, Putney said.

Law enforcement told reporters in November that the FBI isn’t aware of any “credible threat” of violence at the RNC, though emergency preparations continue.

Putney said there will be a “significant presence” of law enforcement at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. As construction remains underway at the airport, City Council member Malcolm Graham said there needs to be heightened customer service and security.

“The airport is extremely important,” Graham said in an interview. “The airport is our front door. We need a plan.”

RNC economic impact

City Council member Braxton Winston emphasized that the RNC will be disruptive to everyday life in Charlotte, including for residents with court dates scheduled for late August in uptown.

And Winston said some business owners may end up forfeiting profits, rather than reaping the promised financial benefits, during the week of the convention.

“This thing was sold on economic impact,” Winston said in an interview. “Some of those businesses, those restaurants, those other office buildings — whether they’re able to benefit will depend on where that perimeter is. Until we know some of those logistics on the ground, we’re waiting.”

Putney told the City Council that CMPD doesn’t have a plan to relocate the homeless population in uptown Charlotte. He noted that homelessness is “not a violation of law.”

“We are intentional about our local providers. There is no movement of homeless people in preparation for the RNC,” Putney said, responding to questions about how the city might address homeless people near the arena. “That is absolutely not the case, nor is there a strategy to do so.”

Still, Graham voiced concerns about residents who live in inexpensive hotels and motels — not traditional homes or apartments — in Charlotte.

Those people will probably be displaced, Graham said, as hotel prices soar to accommodate what could be as many as 50,000 visitors. Graham said a group of nonprofit housing providers is developing alternative plans, such as increased capacity at daytime and nighttime shelters.

“They’re beginning to problem-solve,” Graham said. “Every hotel room in Charlotte is going to be needed.”

This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 8:09 PM.