Chief Castor & Sheriff Gee talk about dealing with "anarchists" during the RNC

Posted by Mitch Perry on Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 4:56 PM

In a video sent today to the dozens of law enforcement agencies that will be working with Tampa and Hillsborough County officials during this summer's Republican National Convention, Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor and Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee discuss what they'll be doing to make conditions hospitable for the 3,000 agents — such as lighter uniforms and water and food stations throughout the city.

But the thrust of the three-minute video is how to deal with "anarchists" that will be "bent on disruption."

In the past, incidents of police brutality and false imprisonment have marred political conventions and other high-profile events involving national and/or world leaders (such as the NATO summit that took place in Chicago last month). That's why the City of Tampa is about to go before City Council to get approval for a police-liability insurance policy.

But on the video, Gee and Castor declare confidently that no such accusations will be made about law enforcement at this convention.

Chief Castor says that's because local law enforcement will be "smarter, highly trained, and better equipped than these lawbreakers. And most importantly, we are more patient. It is their intent to bait us into using force against them so it can be captured on videotape and shown to the world as excessive force. But we will be very calculated in our response to ensure it is strategic and controlled."

Gee adds that a law enforcement presence and preventive action "will help us avoid some of the standoffs that we've all seen in previous protests at conventions and highly charged events."

Chief Castor says in all situations "we fear the unknown," which in the case of the convention are "the anarchists." But she adds that "our intelligence shows us that these groups try to deliberately deceive or mislead law enforcement into believing they are a serious threat, just to bait us into action. In reality, they're most often unorganized and misguided individuals who engage in underhanded tactics to disrupt peaceful demonstrations."

Gee follows up: "We will surgically target these troublemakers and remove them from the area so we can quickly restore order, allowing the peaceful demonstrations to continue."

In today's Tampa Bay Times, reporter Jessica Vander Velde reports that Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor has assured the various law enforcement agencies that "they will be authorized to make arrests and do regular work in Tampa — even if they're from out of town."

But Castor has previously stated that when it comes to regulating protest marches and the like, she wants the men and women from the TPD to be the ones on the front line.

The press release accompanying the video includes quotes from a number of area sheriffs talking about how they look forward to working with Tampa/Hillsborough during the RNC, including the infamous Grady Judd from Polk County, who says, "As law enforcement officials, we have an obligation to ensure the safety of our communities. Working in collaboration during events of magnitude, such as the RNC, ensures that the residents and visitors of Central Florida have peace of mind knowing safety and order will be maintained by well-trained and professional law enforcement officers."

The officers helping to patrol Tampa during the RNC will hail from the following law enforcement agencies :

Alachua County SO
Auburndale PD
Bradenton Beach PD
Bradenton PD
Brevard County SO
Brooksville PD
Broward County SO
Charlotte County SO
Citrus County SO
Clearwater PD
Collier County SO
Dade City PD
Daytona Beach PD
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco
Florida Division of Insurance Fraud
Florida Division of State Fire Marshal-Bureau of Fire & Arson Investigations
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Florida Highway Patrol
Florida Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement
Fort Myers PD
Gainesville PD
Gulfport PD
Hernando County SO
Hillsborough County SO
Kissimmee PD
Lake County SO
Lake Wales PD
Lakeland PD
Lee County SO
Leesburg PD
Manatee County SO
Marion County SO
North Port PD
Ocala PD
Ocoee PD
Orange County SO
Orlando PD
Osceola County SO
Oviedo PD
Palm Beach County SO
Palmetto PD
Pasco County SO
Pinellas County SO
Plant City PD
Polk County SO
Punta Gorda PD
Sarasota County SO
Sarasota PD
Seminole County SO
Seminole PD
St Cloud PD
St Petersburg PD
Tarpon Springs PD
Temple Terrace PD
USF PD
Volusia County SO
Waldo PD
West Palm Beach PD
Winter Haven PD
Winter Park PD
Winter Springs PD