Did protesters at Republican convention give police tainted stickers?

Federal and local officials are investigating stickers that protesters at the Republican National Convention gave to police officers working the crowds in downtown Cleveland Thursday.

A Georgia state trooper and a Cleveland police officer were treated for skin irritation after coming in contact with the stickers, reports WOIO in Cleveland.

The stickers were yellow and had the words “I am awesome” printed on them. Cleveland media reported that protesters handed them out to officers at the protests.

The Cleveland police officer was treated after he felt a numbness in his neck, the TV station reported. The state trooper was treated at the scene and released.

Authorities don’t know for sure whether the stickers caused the problems, Cleveland.com reported. But the stickers — and unfounded rumors that police had been stuck with syringes — created some tense moments, as seen in tweets sent out by Cleveland police.

Authorities confiscated stickers from a man they detained for about 90 minutes, Cleveland.com reported. He was released without charges.

The man told the website that a stranger gave him several stickers. State crime lab officials swabbed his shirt where he had worn a sticker.

The FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation are currently investigating the stickers.

The city had ramped up security to handle any possible chaos caused by hundreds of protesters in town, but there were no major problems.

The biggest clash came Wednesday after a protester tried to light an American flag on fire in the streets outside the convention. Cleveland police arrested 18 people at the scene that drew 200 or so officers, according to CNN.

Cleveland police on Friday thanked the 2,800 police officers from across the country who helped keep the city safe.

This story was originally published July 22, 2016 at 11:53 AM with the headline "Did protesters at Republican convention give police tainted stickers?."