Charlotte riot police begin training for Democratic National Convention

If the Occupy movement decides to come to the 2012 Democratic National Convention, police in Charlotte, North Carolina are planning to be ready.

Nearly 1,700 officers in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area are undergoing riot training in the months leading up to the gathering of Democrats.

"The point of some of the tactics and the maneuvers that we use is to allow folks to have the time to do what we're asking them to do," Deputy Chief Harold Medlock told WSOC.

"We want them to hear us as we move and do the things that we need to do, so you'll hear a lot of verbalization from our officers and one of the things you'll hear is, 'Move back!'"

The federal government is expected to pay for all of the riot gear those officers will be wearing. Police departments protecting the last four conventions received about $50 million in grants.

"This is something that CMPD takes very, very seriously," Medlock explained. "We're going to do everything we can to make sure it is a safe and secure event."

Watch this video from WSOC, broadcast Oct. 18, 2011.

Watch this video on iPhone/iPad

Photo: Flickr user Materloo.