The crowds will start arriving tomorrow and grow steadily over the weekend. By Monday, as many as 10,000 people are expected to descend on Providence from across the country and the world for the largest convention the city has ever hosted.
The Fraternal Order of Police is holding its national conference at the Rhode Island Convention Center.
The influx of police and their families represents a potential boon for downtown businesses and a true test of the city's parking and hotel capacity and ability of restaurants to feed that many people at once.
"We are proud of our state," said Wayne Sacco, a retired Smithfield police officer and a co-chair of the 56th Biennial FOP conference. Rhode Island narrowly beat out Las Vegas to host this year's gathering.
The conference kicks off Monday with an opening ceremony and runs through Thursday.
Conference organizers from the Rhode Island Fraternal Order of Police, who have been planning the event for years, say they are confident that the convention will run smoothly with little disruption to city traffic and business.
Organizers are banking on the idea that most police officers will take free shuttle buses from their hotels, instead of cars. The police and their families will be staying in nearly 3,500 hotel rooms around the state and can take charter buses to and from the convention center every morning and afternoon.
Still, if some police officers decide to drive, there could be a downtown parking crunch.
There's no additional parking being set aside for the FOP conference, said Kathleen Ceseretti, vice president of sales for the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau.
It's expected that between 4,000 to 5,000 FOP delegates will attend the daily conferences. Organizers estimate, that including FOP family members, the number of people in the city could reach 10,000.
Providence Police Chief Dean M. Esserman said there will be additional police officers patroling the streets and directing traffic.
"We hope traffic congestion will be minimized," said Esserman. The chief said he did not know the specifics of any street closings or parking bans next week. "This is a wonderful opportunity for the city," Esserman said.
Downtown restaurants, slogging through a slow summer, are bracing for a sudden flood of customers.
The owners say that the FOP delegates and their families could boost business in ways that other recent bookings at the convention center -- such as the Society of Decorative Painters and the Music Educators National Convention -- have failed to do.
"It's going to be four days and one big party," said Murphy's Deli and Bar manager Julie Ferrazzano of the FOP conference week.
Murphy's will be hosting a four-day block party outside the restaurant, complete with grills and a beer truck; the restaurant has ordered 30 extra kegs for the week and booked Irish musical acts.
Trinity Brewhouse has brewed extra beer; "as much as we can fit in the building," said owner Josh Miller. There will be additional wait staff working next week as well.
"If you disregard that it's the FOP, and look at the demographics -- predominately male and between the ages of 25 and 50," Miller said. "It's probably more of a beer drinking demographic than the Flower Show."
President of the Downtown Merchants Association, Miller said he's not sure that every restaurant is prepared for the potential onslaught of the FOP.
"They don't realize this is significantly different than anything we have seen in several years," Miller said.
The Sportsman's Inn, "a gentlemen's club" featuring exotic dancers, is ready for the FOP. The inn has a sign hanging outside on Fountain Sreeet proclaiming: "Welcome F.O.P. and Families."
The conference itself focuses on official FOP business. FBI director Robert Mueller and Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao will address the delegates.
The conference opens with a procession of officers from every town and city in Rhode Island inside the convention center. And there's a series of seminars, which are closed to the public, dealing with law-enforcement issues.
Jeff Postell, the rookie North Carolina police officer who nabbed notorious fugitive Eric Rudolph, will be honored at the conference.
Sacco said many members and their families have turned the conference into a week-long vacation, renting time shares and cottages around the state. He has been fielding calls from people asking about local fishing and expressing interest in taking day trips to New York and Boston.
Locally, the FOP attendees have a choice of activities. On Monday evening, there will be a lobster/chicken bake at the State House and WaterFire. There will be trips to the South County beaches and tours of the Newport mansions.
On Tuesday, members can choose between a trip to Foxwoods Casino or family night with the PawSox. On Wednesday, there's an "Irish Night" at the FOP Lodge in Warwick.
