Security abounds as GOP gears up
Many Utah delegates admit they are a bit nervous at the prospect the convention could be a bull's-eye for a terrorist attack or perhaps other forms of violence from the legions of protesters expected to descend on the city.
Some 250,000 anti-war demonstrators are expected to march on Sunday. Throughout next week, there will be protests by abortion-rights advocates, labor unions, environmentalists and even librarians.
"My biggest concern are the radical, liberal groups who plan to protest the convention and harass delegates with the hope of disrupting the democratic process," said Todd Weiler, an alternate delegate from Woods Cross. "Terrorist threats place a distant second."
According to an informal survey of Utah delegates by the Deseret Morning News, half of those who responded said they were concerned or somewhat concerned about security during the convention. Virtually all said they would not let their concerns affect their participation in the convention.
According to the Associated Press, the New York City Police Department will deploy 10,000 officers — roughly one third of the department — in a show of force designed to deter violence by protesters and offer a sense of security to anxious delegates. National Guardsmen and federal officers will also be on duty.
All of them will have their hands full. Not only are GOP delegates and their detractors descending on the city, but the convention will coincide with the U.S. Open tennis tournament, home baseball games for the Mets and Yankees and a massive celebration by Caribbean immigrants.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told the Associated Press that "virtually the entire department" will be mobilized next week.
Utah delegate Don Peay isn't worried. "New York City will be the most secure place to be in America during the Republican Convention," he said.
Laura Bridgewater, an alternate Utah delegate, admits she is somewhat concerned, but "we're going anyway, and we're taking our kids."
GOP gubernatorial nominee Jon Huntsman Jr., a delegate, isn't going, not because of security concerns, he says, but because he sees his race with Democrat Scott Matheson Jr. as too close for comfort and that the time could be better spent campaigning.
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