The Detroit Police Department is putting 4,000 officers through the paces in preparation for protesters at the G-8 Energy Summit scheduled to kick off on Thursday.
Riots have marred past summits in other cities and Detroit police officials said that they plan to prevent similar incidents. Authorities are not blocking protests, but will deploy officers to make sure demonstrations remain peaceful.
Officers donned riot gear and were exposed to tear gas as part of training exercises Tuesday. Equestrian units also participated in drills. Police officials told Local 4 that they anticipate getting officers from a variety of divisions across the city involved in the exercises.
Vacations and personal leaves were cancelled to make more officers available for crowd control, Local 4 reported.
Former U.S. Senator from Michigan and current Energy Secretary Spence Abraham wants the city to get through the summit having left a favorable impression on attendees. The conference, which attracts international exposure, is important to city leaders because Detroit continues to vie for major events.
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