A half-dozen military helicopters flew low over parts of Denver Monday night as part of a security drill organized by the U.S. Department of Justice. Denver police said they were aware of the operation, but could provide no details. The secret drills coincided with preparations for the Democratic National Convention, which will take place in Denver in late August. The Denver Post reported that the military aircraft “buzzed above the Pepsi Center,” the site of the convention. A military spokesman, though insisted to the Rocky Mountain News that the military drills were unrelated to planning for the convention, which is expected to draw thousands of protesters as did the 2004 party conventions in Boston and New York. “It’s nothing more than Special Operations Command training with local authorities,” said Lt. Nathan Potter, with Special Operations Command, which has authority over special forces from all branches of the military. Potter would not say which branch of the military was flying the choppers over Denver. The training has nothing to do with preparations for the Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Denver in August, Potter said. “It’s routine preparation for the global war on terrorism,” he said. And everyone believes him, of course. The Rocky Mountain News also reports on further efforts by police to stock up on equipment to suppress potentially unruly protesters, including pepper-spray guns that fire plastic pellets filled with “power that’s ‘like a combination of cayenne pepper and baby powder,’” according to the manufacturer. The city itself is refusing to disclose details of its security preparations. The city received a $50 million federal grant for security. A senior adviser to Mayor John Hickenlooper has said the city plans to spend up to half that amount on equipment, with the rest going to pay officers. But the city has refused to disclose how it is spending the money, prompting the American Civil Liberties Union last month to file a civil lawsuit. … Some organizers of protest groups believe police are buying extended- range Tasers and weapons that incapacitate people with high-intensity sound.