Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney told City Council Monday night that he doesn’t plan on asking for a new crowd-control ordinance for the Republican National Convention in August.
Before the Democratic National Convention in 2012, City Council passed what was known as the extraordinary events ordinance, which gave police more leeway to search people and prohibited items like knives, chains and other weapons. That ordinance was also used for other events like the Fourth of July Fireworks and the Pride Parade.
On Putney’s recommendation, council members repealed that ordinance three years ago.
He told council he doesn’t anticipate asking them to bring it back for the RNC.
Putney also told council members he doesn’t yet know the size of the security perimeter for the convention. He said the Secret Service will announce this summer the size of the restricted area around the Spectrum Center.
“We’re already in conversations with people who will be impacted,” Putney said. “We have a head start because of the work we did back then so I can assure you nobody will be surprised about the impact to their business and their operations because those conversations are already ongoing.”
The convention is set for Aug. 24-27, and as many as 50,000 visitors are expected.
WFAE’s newest podcast, “Inside Politics,” is focusing on the RNC’s impact on Charlotte. Here’s how to listen.
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