After Nice, feds say nothing left to chance at conventions

CLEVELAND (AP) — Security planning for the Republican and Democratic national conventions took into account large-scale threats like the vehicle attack that occurred in France and left dozens dead and wounded, a U.S. Secret Service official said Friday.

In Cleveland, federal officials have already restricted road, air and water travel around the city for next week's Republican National Convention, with security measures affecting passenger and cargo vehicles.

The Plain Dealer reported Friday that scores of paramedics, doctors and nurses will be stationed in and around Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland during the four-day convention to handle everything from minor injuries to multiple casualties.

The use of rolling street closures can help law enforcement by keeping routes open for emergency responders, allowing police to manage crowd movement and prevent static zones that can become targets for an attack, said Edward Clark, homeland security expert and principal consultant for Executive Interface LLC, a security consulting group.