batonrnclogo3St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington insists that security planning for the Republican National Convention is on schedule and that there will be sufficient personnel patrolling the streets when the gathering kicks off on September 1. “We are well on our way to meeting our goal of having far more than adequate staffing for the RNC,” he told reporters at a press conference outside the Xcel Energy Center this afternoon.

The SPPD has so far completed 54 joint-powers agreements with other law-enforcement agencies in the state, clearing the way for them to send officers to assist on security details. Another 27 such agreements are still in the works. Chief Harrington declined to provide a specific number for how many officers have currently been pledged to work the four-day convention, saying that it is changing by the hour. “Any number I gave you now in fact would be wrong by the time I got back to the office,” he said.

The SPPD has stated in the past that it hopes to secure 3,500 officers from other agencies to assist with the event. There are currently 10,300 licensed cops in the state, meaning that more than a third of them would have to sign on to meet that goal. Some agencies have been hesitant to enter into joint-powers agreements citing financial concerns and fear that their own departments will end up short-handed.

Harrington acknowledged at the press conference that out-of-state police departments have been contacted to see if they’d be willing to contribute cops to the cause. Law-enforcement agencies in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois have been surveyed to see what resources they might bring to the table if the SPPD comes up short in its in-state recruitment drive. “That’s still a conversation we’re having,” he said.

Harrington also acknowledged, as MnIndy reported earlier today, that the department sent out an email last week to area fire departments seeking 200 recruits to help with RNC duties. But Harrington stated that the firefighters will be limited to traffic control and will not be involved in law-enforcement duties.

Harrington was joined by Michael Campion, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, along with officials from the Minneapolis Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. But one local law-enforcement agency was notably absent: the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Bob Fletcher says it was no accident that his office wasn’t represented. “It appears the press conference was designed to suggest that all is well and that everything is ready, and at this point the sheriff’s office doesn’t share that view,” Fletcher says. “I think Chief Harrington has underestimated the ability of the anarchists to cause mayhem. That’s why the sheriff’s office has been pushing for a target of 4,000 since last March. But it’s also clear that even the 3,500 goal has not yet been reached.”

See MnIndy’s previous coverage of this story:

A whiff of desperation? St. Paul now seeking firefighters to assist with RNC security operations (August 4)

Convention cops: Five weeks out, St. Paul still coming up short on police for RNC duty (July 28)

Convention cops: How many licensed police officers are employed by the state of Minnesota? (July 25)

Numbers game: St. Paul police sign up more convention cops–but may still have fewer than they claimed last week (July 24)

Convention cops: More discrepancies emerge in St. Paul’s RNC security force tally (July 22)

Convention cops: Head of gang strike force denies RNC participation (July 21)

Convention cops: SPPD official asks for more police volunteers, offers to forgo JPAs (July 18)

Convention cops: SPPD releases list of departments sending officers to RNC (July 18)

Convention cops: St. Paul struggling to recruit enough officers for RNC security (July 17)