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Charlotte officials planning for 2020 RNC security

By Paul Boyd
By Paul Boyd

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Secret Service, Homeland Security and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department will lead efforts to protect Charlotte during the 2020 Republican National Convention.

Ross Bulla helped design uptown Charlotte's security plan for hundreds of businesses in 2012 when it hosted the Democratic National Convention.

Now, with the 2020 Republican National Convention looming, Bulla, an internationally recognized security expert, said it's time to do it all again.

"I know for a fact that Charlotte's business community is already making preparations,” Bulla said. "We don't want to say the sky is falling, but we probably want to build some scaffolding."

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While Charlotte's business community stands to benefit economically from the convention, Bulla said it must also prepare for everything from terrorism to pick-pocketing.

Most businesses will also make extensive plans to protect their employees and property if protests turn violent.

"When it becomes criminal, that's when police have to intervene,” Bulla said. “People get hurt. Property gets damaged."

There were fewer than 25 arrests during the Charlotte DNC in 2012.

Previous Republican conventions have had hundreds of arrests.

Bulla said Charlotte can expect two groups of protesters in 2020: peaceful protesters numbering in the thousand, plus a few hundred of professional anarchists looking to disrupt the convention and business community as a whole.

"They'll come into town with the intent to incite violence," Bulla said.

Protesters are just part of the equation.

Bulla said cybersecurity is a growing concern, along with drone technology that is relatively undetectable and can be weaponized.

Bulla told Channel 9 he's confident law enforcement and Charlotte's business community are up for the challenge to ensure a safe and successful 2020 convention.

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