Sept. 05--TAMPA -- For four days, Tampa police Cpl. Michael Rivera stood toe-to-toe with protesters, battled the humidity of a Florida summer and endured a soaking rain while wearing 60 pounds of riot gear.
There was one more thing Rivera didn't expect to deal with: his aching feet.
"That was the most walking I've ever done in four days," he said. "We were all over the place."
That was the daily routine for the 5,000 law enforcement officers who patrolled downtown Tampa during the Republican National Convention. While police prepared for the worst, confrontations between officers and demonstrators were civil and only two people were arrested during the convention.
Although there were no major threats to people or property, Rivera said officers still had plenty to do, even if it was just standing on a street corner for more than an hour.
"We were constantly doing something," he said. "Walking around, saying hi to people, being vigilant. I wouldn't say there was boredom. There was downtime."
Officers also worked shifts of 12 hours or more.
Rivera said he woke up at 3:30 a.m. each day of the convention to make it to the Florida Fairgrounds before 5 a.m. That was where the thousands of officers gathered for briefings and breakfast before boarding buses that would shuttle them downtown.
The 1,800 officers assigned to crowd management brought with them 60 pounds of what they called "turtle gear," protective equipment they could don if a protesters' rally turned into a riot.
Before they hit the street, officers put on matching khaki uniforms and other equipment on the 20th floor of Park Tower, Rivera said.
Officers would patrol for at least an hour, then rest for another hour, said Tampa police Major Brian Dugan, who oversaw the crowd management team with Hillsborough County sheriff's Maj. Ray Lawton.
After their break, officers would be rotated to a quick reaction force and put on riot gear -- Dugan calls them "the ninja turtle suits" -- remaining on standby while another group patrolled downtown. This rotation went on for 24 hours during each day of the convention, Dugan said.
The quick reaction force was deployed only three times, he said. The first was when a group of about 100 protesters from the Romneyville tent city marched to the intersection of Tampa Street and Kennedy Boulevard on Aug. 27.
Rivera said he was one of the riot gear-clad officers in the platoon that blocked the street and prevented the demonstrators from going farther.
"There were a few tense moments at times, a little bit of jostling here and there," Rivera said. "They wanted to sit down and protest."
Then a massive rain band from Tropical Storm Isaac swept over Tampa, dumping rain, scattering protesters and pounding Rivera's armored platoon.
"We got soaking wet," he said. "To the bone."
While Rivera and other on-foot officers sweated it out in heavy armor last week, bicycle patrol officer Thomas Downes said he was keeping it cool.
"On a bike, you have the ability to make your own breeze," Downes said.
The 200 bicycle officers rode in squads of 10, blocking off intersections with their bicycles, pedaling alongside people marching, and looking for items such as bricks or poles that could be used as weapons, Downes said.
Each bicycle officer clocked at least 100 miles during the convention, he said.
They wore short-sleeved khaki shirts and shorts, which helped with the heat and provided mobility, Downes said.
In Charlotte, N.C., where the Democratic National Convention is being held this week, bicycle officers are wearing black, long-sleeved uniforms and "they are just being hammered by the heat," Downes said.
Several police officers and paramedics have been treated because of the heat, Charlotte police Battalion Chief Jeff Dulin told WSOC News on Monday.
No officer in Tampa experienced those problems, Rivera said, because everyone was constantly drinking water.
"I didn't even drink coffee until the fourth day," he said.
Rivera said despite the humidity and the constant walking, he wouldn't mind patrolling another event as big as the GOP convention.
"I was on the front lines," he said. "I thought it was fun."
Along with the experience, law enforcement got to keep a few more things from convention week:
* Each officer keeps the khaki uniforms and shirts used on patrol. Rivera said he doesn't know if the uniforms will be worn again for events, but they could be used during training.
* The bicycles officers rode are also theirs to keep. Each bicycle is worth $1,450. The Tampa Police Department's 75 bicycles will be used for community patrols, Downes said.
* Ownership of 1,765 portable radios that officers used has been transferred to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Copyright 2012 - Tampa Tribune, Fla.
