Less than two weeks after an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee will be in Charlotte for a rally.
Law enforcement say they expect Wednesday’s rally at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte to be a massive event, and they’ve been planning for weeks to keep everyone safe.
Managing big events like this is something local law enforcement agencies have years of experience with, said Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden.
“Once the announcement has been made, we start to prepare. We don't have to ask everybody what to do. We know what to do. This city has had national conventions before an d national figures come before us, so we are ready,” he said in an interview with Spectrum News 1.
“We also want the citizens to understand that we're going to keep them as safe as they allow us to be safe,” McFadden said. The sheriff said he’s been part of presidential security details since Ronald Reagan was in the White House.
The security around the rally in Charlotte Wednesday includes federal, state and local agencies, from the Secret Service down to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
They all have to coordinate and work together to keep the event safe.
“We do have to be on our toes. Some people took for granted what wasn't now for granted. A person on a building should have never been on the building. People talking about it, they should have brought a lot of attention to this person, cause a disturbance, you need to bring attention to a guy on the roof,” the sheriff said.
Police and federal agents are always worried about the worst-case scenario, McFadden said, and that’s not just because of the July 13 assassination attempt.
“We’re concerned because of the rally and what happened. We don't take that lightly. We're just preparing for it. A little bit more and a little bit more cautious because it is something that is still on our minds,” the sheriff said.
“We're going to get through this and we're going to show professionalism and we're going to have a good time. We're going to have a successful event,” he said.
McFadden would not talk about specific security plans for the rally, but said the sheriff’s office, CMPD and others would have officers in high-volume areas.
Local agencies also have to balance protecting the rally with continuing to police the city. Police and deputies from around Charlotte will also come help out during the rally.
“They're not going to deplete their resources for the city. We still have a city to operate. Everybody is not going to come to the rally. Things are still going to be happening,” he said.
In a statement, Charlotte police said, “CMPD and the Secret Service have a strong partnership and are working together to provide a safe experience for the former president and all attendees.”