Here’s how the Secret Service and Cleveland cops are preparing for the big show

For months, Donald Trump’s campaign rallies have served as a flashpoint for violence. Protesters of all political persuasions have disrupted and demonstrated at Trump events, which he initially countered by imploring the crowd to “knock the crap” out of protesters.

Ron Rowe, a Secret Service agent coordinating security for the Republican National Convention, told reporters in a May briefing that he had been on the ground in Cleveland since the previous fall. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson designated the convention a National Special Security Event, which means the Secret Service assumes a lead role in implementing the security plan.

“The RNC is a major event, it’s a very complex event, and the important thing to remember is not one agency can do it by themselves,” Rowe said in May. “This is a collaborative effort.”

Despite various law enforcement agency assurances, the likelihood that Trump’s presence as the presumptive nominee could spark violence has members of his own party concerned. Alex Conant, the communications director of Marco Rubio’s defunct campaign, recently told the Huffington Post he is worried one of the top storylines coming out of the Republican convention could be the demonstrations outside the arena.

“I worry there’s going to be massive demonstrations in the streets like we haven’t seen at a convention [since 1968],” Conant said.

Cleveland appears to have similar concerns. In preparation for the convention, Cleveland requested 10,000 sets of plastic handcuffs, 2,000 sets of riot gear, eight sets of mounted night vision goggles, 15 motorcycles and a horse trailer.

And while Cleveland officials have long claimed they are prepared for the convention and the potential problems that could materialize, complaints about the size of the riot gear have already emerged. After a photograph of one police officer struggling to fit into the riot gear surfaced, Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said at a meeting with city officials in June that he would have a “personal one-on-one in the gym” with the pictured officer.

But Steve Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, has publicly expressed concerns about the police’s and the city’s readiness in comparison to the Philadelphia law enforcement officials preparing for the Democratic convention.

“Call your counterparts in Philadelphia to see where they are at compared to us before blindly accepting the word of appointed folks that will ultimately be responsible for their planning failures,” Loomis wrote in a letter to a Cleveland city council safety committee member, first obtained by Fox 8 in June. “The smoke-and-mirrors leadership we have unfortunately grown far too [sic] accustomed to in this city is going to fail us all.”

And it’s not just law enforcement that has faced harsh criticism of its plans for the convention. The ACLU of Ohio filed a federal lawsuit regarding the city’s rule for protesters against Cleveland in June on behalf of several groups that intend to demonstrate at the convention, including Citizens for Trump. Citizens for Trump is an umbrella organization for other Trump-focused groups such as Truckers for Trump, Bikers for Trump and Students for Trump.

The ultimate test of Cleveland’s readiness for the convention, however, will occur when Trump gets to town. His extemporaneous approach to politics could keep law enforcement officials on their toes until the former reality television star leaves Cleveland. Whether the Rock and Roll Capital of the World can handle the Trump phenomenon remains to be seen and has been the butt of jokes from high-profile Democrats.

“I hope you all are proud of yourselves,” President Obama said to the press gathered at the White House Correspondents Dinner in May. “The guy [Trump] wanted to give his hotel business a boost and now we are praying that Cleveland makes it through July.”