TAMPA –Ahead of the 2012 Republican National Convention, Tampa officials plan to festoon downtown with security cameras to keep a watchful eye on protesters.This week, the city began soliciting bids from private security companies to install a yet-to-be-determined number of cameras at yet-to-be-disclosed locations in the downtown.Greg Spearman, the city’s purchasing director, said the plan is to “set up a perimeter” of cameras around the downtown and venues for the event, including the St. Pete Times Forum and Tampa Convention Center, but said exact locations might not be disclosed.

“The anarchists could use that information to disable cameras or plan actions in other areas,” he said. “We know they’re watching and we don’t want to put the city at risk.”

Spearman said he didn’t know who would be monitoring the cameras, saying that was likely to be decided by U.S. Secret Service, which is overseeing security preparations.

He said the city likely will have to cover some upfront costs for installing the camera system but pointed out that the Republican National Committee ultimately will be picking up the tab.

“The RNC has assured us that they will have adequate funding,” Spearman said.

Next August, Tampa hosts the 2012 GOP Convention, when the party’s delegates will nominate their party’s presidential candidate. The event is expected to draw more than 50,000 delegates, politicians and news reporters to the Bay area.

As with national political conventions in previous years, however, the weeklong event is also expected to draw tens of thousands of protestors from throughout the country.

At the 2008 GOP Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, more than 800 protestors and bystanders, including journalists covering the clashes with police, were arrested during street demonstrations. Mass arrests also were made at the 2008 DNC Convention in Denver, when Barack Obama was nominated as the party’s presidential candidate.

Officials in both cities used surveillance cameras to capture images of protests, in some cases for use as evidence against demonstrators accused of committing violent acts.

Spearman said the city wants to have the cameras up and operating by May 2012.