Giacomo Bologna

Springfield News-Leader

As Springfield prepares for President Donald Trump's visit Wednesday, a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department had some advice for the Queen City of the Ozarks:

"Embrace the opportunity to show the world the character of your community," Sgt. Jonathan Howard said.

Tensions were high when Trump visited Phoenix Tuesday, 10 days after white supremacists violently clashed with protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. Howard said Phoenix police did a lot of planning to ensure a safe atmosphere for attendees and protesters.

City officials told the Arizona Republic that about 15,000 people came for Trump's rally and at least 5,000 people showed up to protest outside. No violence was reported between the groups.

The police department had about a week to prepare for Trump's speech at the Phoenix Convention Center, Howard said, and that included preparing physical barriers outside the convention center and coordinating with about 120 private and public organizations.

"We encouraged peaceful, thoughtful discussions. We encouraged everyone to respect each other and each other’s right to free speech and opinion," Howard wrote.

Phoenix is a significantly different city from Springfield: It's about 10 times as populous, much more diverse, and has experience hosting big events, like the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four.

While Trump won Arizona in the 2016 election, the Springfield area also appears to be more Trump-friendly than Phoenix.

During the presidential election, Trump narrowly carried Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located, with less than 48 percent of the vote. In Greene County, Trump cruised to victory with nearly 60 percent of the vote.

Phoenix's mayor, Greg Stanton, told Trump not to come to Phoenix when the president's speech was announced. After the violence in Charlottesville and Trump's heavily criticized remarks about that violence, Stanton suggested he come later and avoid stoking any conflicts.

A protester was killed in Charlottesville after a man drove a car through a crowd, and Phoenix took several measures to prevent such an attack.

Lindsey Collom, an editor at the Arizona Republic, told the News-Leader that protesters were separated from Trump supporters outside the convention center by trucks filled with sand and lines of police officers.

(Howard declined to say how many police officers were on duty at Trump's speech and outside the convention center.)

People came to the rally from all across Arizona, Collom said, with some people driving in from Tuscon to the south and Flagstaff to the north.

Jason Pohl, a reporter for the Arizona Republic, said police took several measures to control the crowd.

Several city blocks around the convention center were shut down, Pohl said, and Trump supporters were ushered into the convention center through a single entrance and left using a back exit.

"That, I think, tamped down a lot of the potential for violence and confrontation," Pohl said.

Phoenix police did use pepper spray, stun grenades and smoke on some people, though, the Arizona Republic reported, after protesters allegedly threw a pepper gas canister at officers.

Asked if he had any advice for the Springfield Police Department, Howard wrote: "Be professional, decisive, and immediately responsive to situations arising before they grow beyond the availability of your resources to effectively manage them."

A spokesman for the Phoenix mayor's office said officials were made aware on Aug. 8 about a possible Trump visit, but it didn't become official for another week or so. On Aug. 16, it was announced that Trump would speak at the convention center.

It does not appear Springfield will have as much time to prepare. As of Saturday afternoon, the rally was four days away and a venue for the speech had not been announced.