If you want to you can get arrested in Denver, but the officers operating near the DNC are restrained, respectful, and calm.

One of the striking impressions as one strolls the areas outside the Colorado Convention Center such as Denver's 16th Street Mall area, is that the law enforcement presence is huge. Officers from numerous agencies are present, sometimes sporting impressive crowd control tools and gear. They are here, prepared, visible, yet generally non-intrusive, and utterly professional in their demeanor.

There have been a number of incidents for them to respond to, such as the one an officer described to me as discovering a package that, upon inspection, he called in to the bomb disposal team, because it "definitely wasnt somebody's lunch." There have been minor challenges for them - debris hurled from above, protesters without proper permits and/or identification (which resulted in the arrest documented here in pictures,) and naturally some plain old unruly behavior.

Yet, as far as I can determine chatting with the men and women arrayed througout the area for the protection of everybody, they are well-prepared for the long shifts, and responding with admirable restraint. I've seen no evidence of disproportionate use of force, just a widespread calming presence that reassures almost everybody. (There are always some who have a beef with enforcement agencies and their agents, and they can be relied on to lean more toward confrontation, naturally.)

If you want to get arrested in Denver, you surely can. Thus far, though, retstraint has been the operational posture of every single officer I've spoken to.

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