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The convention is expected to bring 45,000 visitors and perhaps tens of thousands of protesters to the Twin Cities Sept. 1-4. Police officers will have to handle the crowds along with protecting dignitaries. They’ll also need to be ready in case anything unexpected arises.
The biggest chunk of the Department of Justice grant — $34 million — will go toward contracts associated with the event itself, such as cell phones, vehicle rentals, training and hiring police officers from other cities to help.
The grant also includes nearly $10 million for equipment and supplies, including a new $560,000 mobile command vehicle and a fleet of new bikes. At a news conference Tuesday, Police Chief John Harrington said the police department’s $70 million annual budget couldn’t have come close to providing what was needed for such a large event.
“$50 million is a lot of money,” Harrington said. “When I first heard that number, there was a bit of sticker shock.”
Both Harrington and Mayor Chris Coleman pointed out that local taxes aren’t being used for security costs associated with the convention.
According to a breakdown of the grant, the St. Paul police plan to spend $1.9 million on “public order agents” like pepper spray and will spend more than $1 million on chemical masks for officers. When asked whether public order agents included Tasers, Harrington said no.
Other supplies include helmets, disposable handcuffs, first-aid kits and bullhorns. The police department is spending more than $2 million on a closed-circuit television system, including cameras, and will buy bomb squad equipment and motorcycles. It will also spend nearly $1 million to rent or buy additional vehicles. The $612,000 to be spent on new 800 megahertz radios will help agencies better communicate, Harrington said.
Harrington said some of the purchases will help his department for years to come. The city’s police officers will also benefit long-term from the training they are receiving ahead of the convention, Harrington said. The grant provides $480,000 for training in things like crowd control, First Amendment law and dignitary protection, he said.
“This money is money well spent,” Harrington said. “This is really about having a safe convention.”
Denver, which is hosting the Democratic National Convention, also received a $50 million grant for security.
