4,000 non-Milwaukee cops will be here for the RNC. Here's where they're from, what they'll be doing
Thousands of members of law enforcement from across the nation are arriving in Milwaukee for next week's 2024 Republican National Convention.
Among them are 18 members of the Bradenton Police Department, who will travel over 1,100 miles from central Florida along with two officers from another Florida department. The officers are scheduled to be in Milwaukee from Saturday to Friday.
"Many officers that BPD is providing to Milwaukee have participated in prior inaugurations," Bradenton public information officer Meredith Censullo said, noting her department has assisted both with conventions and presidential inaugurations. "Our group includes officers with a variety of experience, from patrol to SWAT to FBI task force training."
More than a half-dozen agencies from Florida, the state with the most departments represented, will send officers to assist with the event in which Milwaukee officials have estimated about 4,000 officers from law enforcement agencies outside the city will take part.
Milwaukee police have said they intend to assign outside officers to positions that are not public-facing — such as traffic control — while Milwaukee officers will have primary contact with members of the community.
As many as 1,000 private security personnel may also accompany convention attendees to Milwaukee, according to city legislation.
The Milwaukee Fire Department, too, will be assisted by other departments.
The large security presence will oversee the massive convention set to take over downtown Milwaukee next week, where tens of thousands of guests will congregate for the RNC. The convention is scheduled for Monday through Thursday at Fiserv Forum, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Baird Center.
More: What Milwaukeeans need to know about the RNC, including road closures, parking, venues and more
More: What to know about Milwaukee police rules for handling mass demonstrations outside RNC
Out-of-state agencies coming from as far as the California, as close as Illinois for 2024 RNC
As of Wednesday, 63 out-of-state agencies were confirmed to assist with the convention. The participating agencies include police departments, sheriff's offices, state patrols and highway patrols. Some were sending as many as 100 officers, while others were sending as few as two.
Those from outside Wisconsin were from 24 states and the District of Columbia across the country, with the most participating agencies from Florida, Ohio and North Dakota.
The closest departments will come from Illinois and Minnesota, and the farthest department will be from Long Beach, California, whose two officers will travel over 1,700 miles to get to Milwaukee.
According to the Milwaukee Police Department, additional departments could be added to the list "up until the start of the convention."
The out-of-state agencies are coming to Wisconsin through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact under an emergency declaration Gov. Tony Evers issued in May. The compact is a “state-to-state mutual aid agreement” that eases cooperation between local and out-of-state law enforcement agencies in addition to providing all participating officers arrest power during the convention.
Some of the out-of-state departments have prior experience with sending officers to conventions or similar events. Bradenton PD had helped with Tampa's 2012 Republican National Convention and previous presidential inaugurations, Censullo said.
Matt McGinnis, the public information officer for Sandy Springs Police Department in the Atlanta area, said the department had helped with the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. This year, it is sending eight officers to Wisconsin for the convention.
Some incoming departments, like North Dakota's Bismarck Police Department, have not sent officers to a convention before or participated in an Emergency Management Assistance Compact, while some departments such as Fargo Police Department and North Las Vegas Police Department haven’t sent officers to a convention but have assisted other departments in large-scale events.
North Las Vegas PD’s public information office said it has helped out with presidential rallies, debates, conventions and escorts throughout the Las Vegas Valley and southern Nevada each year because it is a swing state. It will send five officers to the RNC.
Lt. Matt Christensen of the Fargo Police Department, whose city council approved 15 officers to be sent to Milwaukee, said while the department hasn't worked a convention, it assisted with “crowd management efforts related to protests at the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Morton County, N.D., and associated protests in Bismarck, N.D.”
Out-of-state agencies will arrive in Milwaukee between Saturday and Monday ahead of the main events of the convention.
When in Wisconsin, the incoming officers will be under the command of the Milwaukee Police Department and will receive their assignments from Milwaukee police, multiple agencies said.
Ahead of the convention, the agencies will not be receiving additional training beyond what they have already completed at their home departments. Outside officers must follow the Milwaukee Police Department’s standard operating procedures on use of force, crowd control and rules of engagement.
“Our troopers are continuously engaged in training programs that ensure that they remain at the highest level of readiness and proficiency,” said New Jersey State Police Sgt. Charles Marchan. NJSP is sending 100 officers and previously assisted with multiple hurricane recoveries in Puerto Rico and civic unrest in Baltimore.
“Rest assured, our troopers are fully prepared and equipped to support Milwaukee PD,” Marchan said.
More: How Milwaukee police will handle protests at the RNC and what some say is missing from their plan
In-state agencies coming from Milwaukee area, as far as Superior
In Wisconsin, many participating agencies will come from the Milwaukee area, but some from as far away as Superior.
As of Wednesday, 44 Wisconsin departments were sending officers to Milwaukee.
Jefferson Police Chief Alan Richter said while the agency was small compared with others, it has authorized three officers to come to the RNC. Previously, Richter said, Jefferson officers have been deployed to civil unrest in Madison and Kenosha, and the officers are trained in mobile field force tactics and certified by FEMA.
West Bend Police Lt. Brian McAndrews said the department will send six officers, which is what it can afford while maintaining its own staffing. McAndrews said the officers’ wages will be repaid by Milwaukee.
Policing discussion at City Hall 'calmer' ahead of RNC than 2020 DNC
The discussion around policing at Milwaukee City Hall is calmer ahead of the RNC than it was in the months leading up to the Democratic National Convention four years ago.
The earlier convention took place in the wake of the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and was followed by marches across the nation. In Milwaukee, the conversation around policing was no less fraught.
In June that year, the Police Department then led by Chief Alfonso Morales came under heavy criticism for its response after protesters threw water bottles and other objects at North Sixth Street and West McKinley Avenue. The Common Council approved a measure exploring a 10% cut to the Police Department budget, with members expressing a sense of urgency to respond.
By late the next month, law enforcement agencies were withdrawing from agreements to send officers to the DNC, some of them citing orders to Milwaukee's police chief to cease the use of tear gas and pepper spray during demonstrations.
Meanwhile, planning for the DNC was underway even as the coronavirus pandemic raged. The largely virtual event ultimately took place in mid-August 2020.
The months leading up to the RNC have been notably quieter.
"I think it’s a calmer conversation than it was in 2020, given the time that has passed since George Floyd," said Ald. Milele Coggs, one of the council’s longest-serving members. "I think it’s a more informed conversation. So much has been learned on all sides since 2020, and many of the trainings and rules have changed for police behavior, and standards have changed or improved since 2020."
Common Council President José G. Pérez said Floyd's murder changed attitudes and raised awareness of "how we should be protecting everyone."
He also said the tone of the protests may be different at the RNC, though Pérez noted it's hard to compare because the DNC became a largely virtual event that barely resembles the scale of next week's convention.
"We hear of groups like the Proud Boys and other things that I don't think we were expecting that with the DNC as we are with the RNC," he said. "So, we have to be prepared for everyone and the protesters coming to town just so everyone is safe, that they can exercise their First Amendment right, but it has to be a safe environment to do that."
He sensed cautious optimism at City Hall and expressed hope that everyone leaves the RNC thinking of Milwaukee as a first-class city capable of hosting an event of this magnitude.
Milwaukee Fire Department to be assisted by other Milwaukee County departments
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said his department would be assisted by other fire departments within Milwaukee County.
Each department that is assisting with the RNC will maintain its staffing for its own community while additional members will work overtime to participate in the convention, Lipski said. That overtime will be paid from a $75 million federal security grant the city received to host the RNC, he said.
Other agencies will fill in at Milwaukee Fire Department stations for Milwaukee teams that are inside the credentials-only "hard" security zone. Those other agencies will also have their own members inside the hard zone.
Lipski said the fire departments' mission will be primarily to respond to any medical or firefighting needs but that HAZMAT, dive and other teams will also be available.
He compared the process for assigning various units across the city to a game of Tetris.
Which agencies are coming to assist with the RNC in Milwaukee next week?
The out-of-state agencies with completed agreements to assist with the RNC are:
California: California Highway Patrol, Long Beach PD, Fresno PD, Bakersfield PD
Colorado: Thornton PD, Denver PD, Colorado State Patrol
District of Columbia: DC Metropolitan Police
Florida: Bradenton PD, Miami-Dade PD, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Panama City PD, Miami PD, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol, North Bay Village PD
Georgia: Sandy Springs PD
Illinois: Illinois State Police and Illinois Law Enforcement Mutual Aid System
Indiana: Indiana State Police
Kentucky: Kentucky State Police, Louisville Metro PD
Maryland: Carroll County Sheriff's Office, Prince George's County Sheriff's Office
Massachusetts: Massachusetts State Patrol
Michigan: Michigan State Police
Minnesota: Bloomington PD, Hennepin County Sheriff's Department, Rochester PD, Ramsey County Sheriff's Office
Missouri: Kansas City PD, Missouri State Highway Patrol
Nebraska: Nebraska State Patrol
Nevada: North Las Vegas PD
New Jersey: New Jersey State Police
New Mexico: Farmington PD
North Carolina: Cary PD, Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD, Concord PD, Greensboro PD
North Dakota: Bismarck PD, Dunn County Sheriff’s Department, Fargo PD, Burleigh County Sheriff, North Dakota Highway Patrol, University of North Dakota Police
Ohio: Ohio State Highway Patrol, Akron PD, Cincinnati PD, Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office, Cleveland Metroparks PD, Columbus PD, Trumbull County Sheriff's Office
Oklahoma: Tulsa PD
Oregon: Forest Grove PD
Tennessee: Knoxville PD, Tennessee Highway Patrol, La Vergne PD, Metro Nashville PD
Texas: Austin PD, McAllen PD, Fort Worth PD, Dallas PD
Virginia: Virginia Beach PD
The Wisconsin agencies are:
Algoma PD
Appleton PD
Beaver Dam PD
City of Brookfield PD
Brown Deer PD
Dane County Sheriff’s Office
East Troy PD
Elkhorn PD
Fond du Lac PD
Fort Atkinson PD
Franklin PD
Gibraltar PD
Glendale PD
Grand Chute PD
Green Bay PD
Greenfield PD
Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office
Hartland PD
Jefferson PD
Lake Mills PD
Madison PD
Manitowoc PD
Mequon PD
Mukwonago PD
Muskego PD
Racine PD
Rock County Sheriff’s Office
Shorewood PD
South Milwaukee PD
St. Francis PD
Superior PD
Watertown PD
Waukesha PD
Wauwatosa PD
Whitefish Bay PD
Whitewater PD
West Allis PD
West Bend PD
West Milwaukee PD
Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office
Wisconsin Department of Justice
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wisconsin State Fair Park Police
Wisconsin State Patrol
Fire departments helping Milwaukee Fire are:
Cudahy
North Shore
Franklin
Greendale
Greenfield
Oak Creek
South Milwaukee
St. Francis
Wauwatosa
West Allis
Tristan Hernandez can be reached at [email protected]. Alison Dirr can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 4,000 police officers from around the country in Milwaukee for RNC
