Milwaukee’s best: Plan to send cops for RNC raises concerns

The Milwaukee Police Department has agreed to send 36 officers to assist with security operations during the Republican National Convention. But the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the plan is raising concerns among some city officials. The issues: adequate staffing back home and a very short time frame to get approval from the city council.

Some aldermen are concerned about taking that many officers off Milwaukee’s streets when police staffing and overtime have been perennial concerns. But [Police Chief Edward] Flynn says he can handle the deployment without endangering safety and at no cost to local taxpayers, while providing invaluable experience to his officers.

Another major stumbling block to the plan will be convening a sufficient number of aldermen on short notice during the August recess, when many council members are vacationing with their families, council President Willie Hines Jr. said. Flynn said he was hopeful the logistics could be worked out.

The Milwaukee daily also reports that the Wisconsin State Patrol has agreed to send 50 officers to St. Paul for the RNC.

The Pioneer Press has some other nuggets relating to RNC security in this morning’s paper. The Boston Police Department is seeking recruits to make the trip to Minnesota. Officials in Madison say they were willing to assist, but the request from St. Paul came in too late to make it happen. And the Iowa Department of Public Safety has been asked to contribute 100 officers to the cause.

With barely two weeks to go before the convention kicks off, the St. Paul Police Department is clearly still scrambling to assemble an adequate force.