HARTFORD — City officials are busy drafting plans for dealing with the crowds that will flock to Donald Trump on Friday when the presidential hopeful brings his campaign to the Connecticut Convention Center.

Deputy Police Chief Brian Foley said Thursday that the department has been working since Monday to prepare for the arrival of the Republican frontrunner for his 7 p.m. rally.

Traffic Division officers will be active around the city, particularly near State Street, American Row, Columbus Boulevard and the Founders Bridge, where police anticipate the most congestion. Hartford police will create a separate area in front of the convention center for protesters.

The department is urging commuters to leave early, if possible, and to take a route that avoids the downtown area. Conversely, police are urging people attending the rally to arrive as early as possible.

Hartford has been collaborating with the Secret Service to plan the event, as well as other federal and state partners, including the state police, who will be monitoring the highways around the city.

Beyond the officers on the ground, analysts from the city's Real-Time Crime and Data Intelligence Center will keep an eye on the event, monitoring video feeds, dispatch reports and social media, Foley said. Those analysts have played a key role in planning the city's response, gathering information on how other cities have handled Trump's visits.

"Our main concern is that we provide and ensure a safe and peaceful event for everyone that attends, as well as limiting the impact on our city," Foley said. "And, as always, we're asking everyone to be respectful to our city and its residents."

The convention center and its surrounding area will be "thoroughly staffed" through the day Friday with 80 Hartford officers, at a cost of $40,00 to $45,000 beyond what the Trump campaign is paying for, Foley said.

In some instances, most recently at Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Wednesday, Trump visits have marred by clashes between protesters and police.

Three people were arrested during skirmishes in the Steel City, which saw officers attacked with pepper spray and physically assaulted, according to Emily Schaffer, a spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department.

By midday Thursday, some groups began to mobilize on social media, calling for attendance at the Hartford event.

"We want to show that Donald Trump, even though he just announced this event, is not welcome in Hartford or Connecticut because of the violent, racist rhetoric he uses," said Chris Garaffa, a Connecticut organizer for the ANSWER coalition, a national anti-war protest group. "We want to show that the people of Connecticut are saying 'no' to Donald Trump."

Garaffa said he anticipates "at least 200" people to show up on behalf of ANSWER. Residents from Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport and Enfield, among other areas, have promised to join the group outside the convention at 6 p.m.

Though ANSWER was one of the groups present during the violence in Pittsburgh, Garaffa said he expects Friday's protest to be peaceful and has notified Hartford police about the organization's plans.

"We're not trying to create any problems," he said. "We want people to have an outlet to show how upset they are."

Check back for updates.

———

©2016 The Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conn.)

Visit The Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conn.) at www.courant.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.