The five-day Parliamentary Assembly, which will be held in Dayton May 22 to 26, is expected to have a large police presence, and a sizable section of downtown will be turned into a security zone called NATO Village.
The Ohio Emergency Management Agency has requested $4 million from the Ohio Controlling Board to help pay for “emergency protective measures” during NATO’s spring session.
A budget document included in the request indicates that about $2.7 million of the funding likely will go toward reimbursing the city of Dayton for personnel costs for police, fire and public works employees.
The city also may be reimbursed about $1.1 million for equipment costs. NATO Village is expected to have a significant amount of fencing and barriers and other kinds of safety measures.
The Ohio Department of Public Safety also is seeking about $1.3 million to pay for Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to assist with security during the Assembly.
Dayton police Chief Kamran Afzal in December sent a letter to superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol to ask for additional officers during the NATO events.
“The entire Dayton Police Department will be working various shifts during this event,” his letter states. “However, additional staffing will be needed.”
Afzal specifically requested officers who are trained in crowd control, mounted police and officers on bicycle response teams.
Rep. Mike Turner was unavailable for comment. Last year, Turner’s office said $2 million was included in a House fiscal year 2024 bill to support holding the assembly in Dayton, with the House Appropriations Committee approving the funding in 2023.
This will be the first NATO Parliamentary Assembly to be held in the United States in more than 20 years.
Dayton is going to welcome about 300 parliamentarians from the 32 NATO countries, as well as their families, staff and other officials. The total visitor count could exceed 1,200 people.
