Cleveland City Hall

Cleveland officials continue their efforts to spend a $50 million grant for security for the Republican National Convention.

(Scott Shaw, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland spending panel on Wednesday approved nearly $577,000 in security-related purchases for the upcoming Republican National Convention.

The Board of Control, composed of aides to Mayor Frank Jackson, unanimously voted to buy:

- Three-hundred bicycles and 310 bike helmets from Safariland, LLC, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based manufacturer of police equipment, for $386,800. City officials picked Safariland over two competing bids, including a $565,269 offer from Volcanic, LLC, a Seattle-based company.

- Five-hundred interlocking steel barriers measuring 6.5 feet tall and 6.5 feet long from Sonco Worldwide, of Maryland for $69,995. The city rejected a single bid for the rental and setup of 2,000 additional, shorter interlocking steel barriers. The company did not complete the city's contracting paperwork, officials said

- Two-thousand, four-hundred "Camelbak" water packs from Kentucky-based Galls, LLC for $120,000.

The city will file for the spending to be reimbursed through a $50 million federal grant meant to pay for security for the convention, scheduled for July 18-21 in downtown Cleveland. The event is expected to attract up to 50,000 visitors, and a significant number of protesters. Cleveland is putting together an expanded police force of thousands of officers, recruiting from outside agencies, to oversee security for the event.

Other items the city has sought to buy through the convention-security grant include 2,000 sets of riot gear, 10,000 sets of plastic handcuffs, hay and raincoats for police horses, 15 motorcycles and a horse trailer.

An earlier version of this story misstated "Galls LLC" as "Gallis LLC."