Elections

Philadelphia draws rowdy protesters but fewer arrests

Police watch protesters near the Wells Fargo Center on July 26, 2016, in Philadelphia.
Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images

Protesters have been a constant presence at this week's Democratic National Convention, bringing a rowdy element to the convention arena and the surrounding streets.

But by one key metric, the Democrats' gathering has been less raucous than the Republican Convention last week in Cleveland: the number of arrests.

Before both conventions, it was widely assumed that the RNC would be the more raucous of the two, with many corporate donors staying away out of fear that tensions could erupt. The Cleveland police and other security forces invested heavily in security, and the convention was largely uneventful when it came to outside protesters.

All told, just 24 arrests were made in connection with the convention as of just after its close.

Philadelphia is far under that number as of Thursday around 4 p.m. EST, with zero arrests made by the Philadelphia police so far in connection with the convention, according to Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson Jeff Chrusch.

Chrusch did say 103 citations for disorderly conduct have been issued up to this point. So far the Philadelphia Police Department has dispatched officers to more than 50 demonstrations from Monday through Wednesday, according to press releases.

While the local police have not made any arrests yet, the Secret Service arrested seven individuals on Wednesday, according to a PPD press release. On Tuesday, the Secret Service arrested four individuals who climbed over an outer perimeter fence, according to a USSS press release.