In July, Kansas Highway Patrol troopers will travel to Cleveland to provide assistance to the City of Cleveland and the Ohio State Highway Patrol during the 2016 Republican National Convention, according to a media release.

The convention runs from July 18-21, 2016. The Patrol’s assistance aids in answering an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) request for mutual aid.

While in Cleveland, troopers will provide support to federal, state, and local entities as a high visibility deterrent, observing/reporting, and interacting with the public. Kansas is one of several state patrol organizations across the country that will be assisting in Cleveland.

This is not the first time the Kansas Highway Patrol has sent members to assist public safety partners across the nation during critical events. Following Hurricane Katrina, Patrol personnel deployed to various locations in the south to assist local authorities with manpower in affected areas.

EMAC is a national interstate mutual aid agreement that allows states to share resources during times of disaster. EMAC has grown to become the nation’s system for providing mutual aid through operational procedures and protocols that have been validated through experience. EMAC acts as a complement to the federal disaster response system, providing timely and cost-effective relief to states requesting assistance from others who understand the needs of jurisdictions that are struggling to preserve life, the economy, and the environment. EMAC can be used either in lieu of federal assistance or in conjunction with federal assistance, thus providing a “seamless” flow of needed goods and services to an impacted state. EMAC further provides another venue for mitigating resource deficiencies by ensuring maximum use of all available resources within member states’ inventories.