Madison police may help provide law enforcement services at the Democratic National Convention, which will take place in July at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Under an intergovernmental agreement under discussion, Milwaukee would reimburse Madison an estimated $1 million for the assistance.
Madison may send up to 100 police officers to Milwaukee during the Democratic National Convention for 10 days in July with Milwaukee reimbursing costs at an estimated $1 million.
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and three City Council members are sponsoring a resolution that would allow the mayor, police chief and city clerk to sign an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Milwaukee to provide law enforcement services during the convention at Fiserv Forum from July 10 to July 20.
“Milwaukee has reached out to police departments from surrounding communities and Madison for help with the DNC in July,” said Mary Bottari, the mayor’s chief of staff. “The DNC is one of the largest political gatherings in the United States with significant security needs. Any resource commitment that MPD might make toward the DNC is contingent upon Council approval and a mutual agreement between Milwaukee and Madison regarding the number of officers and how they would be utilized and deployed.”
Madison Assistant Police Chief Paige Valenta said, “MPD may provide as many as approximately 50 to 100 officers.” Some of these officers are members of specialized teams such as SWAT and Special Events, motorcycle officers and mounted officers, she said.
The Madison Police Department has an authorized strength of 482 sworn personnel.
The officers would be drawn from all areas of the department, mostly according to skill sets and memberships to specific teams, such as SWAT and Special Events, Valenta said. Specific assignments are not yet known, she said.
Any assignments to the convention will be made with first consideration being staffing needs in Madison, Valenta said. Also, there is a provision in the proposed agreement that allows for recalling officers back to Madison from the convention should an event occur here that requires it, she said.
The arrangement will not require paying overtime to guarantee routine coverage in Madison, Valenta said. The city has not received any official notice of DNC-related events in Madison, but the department is planning for the possibility, she said.
The resolution will be introduced to the council on Tuesday and be considered by committees with a council decision at a later date.
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Under a possible deal, which is still being negotiated, Milwaukee would reimburse the city for all salary, equipment and benefits for all Madison police staff providing law enforcement services there, and also cover transportation, lodging and meals, the resolution says.
Madison police officials estimate that reimbursable costs would range between $975,000 and $1 million, it says. Milwaukee would not reimburse the city for administrative costs, largely related to scheduling and payroll processing, that are estimated to be $7,000 to $10,000. Madison police would try to absorb the administrative costs in its 2020 operating budget.
Kelly Powers, president of the Madison Professional Police Association, said he doesn’t anticipate much disruption for officers who remain in Madison during the convention.
“Anytime you take 50 to 100 people away to send them off for services, there is some potential for limited ability to take time off,” he said. “But command staff for MPD seems to believe that there isn’t going to be a staffing hardship on our end.”
Policing a different metropolitan area could be a positive experience for the officers who volunteer, Powers added.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for some of our newer officers to go experience law enforcement in that setting,” he said.
The cities of Madison and Milwaukee have jointly determined that provision of law enforcement services to facilitate the safe and secure completion of scheduled convention events and the protection of delegates, dignitaries, media and the general public is mutually beneficial, the resolution says.
It’s common for law enforcement agencies to contribute officers and resources to the cities hosting Democratic or Republican national convention events due to the need for resources that often exceed those of the hosting city, Valenta said.
Because the convention is in Wisconsin and not too far of a drive away, in an effort to be a good partner to Milwaukee and the community and visitors who will be there for the convention, Madison is responding to Milwaukee’s request for mutual aid, she said.
“MPD regularly seeks the assistance of outside agencies for large events, and previously hosted the U.S. Conference of Mayors where significant police presence and outside agency assistance was required,” she said.
State Journal reporter Howard Hardee contributed to this report.
2020-03-01 11:30:00Z
https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/madison-may-share-up-to-police-for-democratic-national-convention/article_b544db13-c1b5-5f53-9500-be2bf859f92e.html
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