St. Paul puts out a police call for help at 2008 convention

From Moorhead to Mankato, law enforcement agencies weigh whether they can
free up officers for a planned force of about 4,000.

By Myron P. Medcalf and Howie Padilla, Star Tribune

The Mankato Public Safety director opened a letter from St. Paul Police
Chief John Harrington this week and began wondering how — or if — he
could help him.

Harrington is trying to get a grip on how many officers he can borrow for
security at the Republican National Convention next year.

In Mankato, Jerry Huettl isn’t sure that he can part with even a few of
his 50 officers.

“It’s going to take a little bit of thought,” he said. “We have a
community we have to deal with first.”

During the 2004 GOP convention in New York City, about a quarter of the
city’s 40,000 officers were used for convention security. With little more
than 600 sworn officers, Harrington’s department can’t go it alone.

Early estimates in St. Paul call for 4,000 officers above what is needed
for normal patrols and police calls in the city.

In addition to being concerned about policing their own communities, some
law enforcement officials said this week that they are wondering about
communication among multiple agencies and how their officers will get
paid.

Harrington isn’t asking for commitments yet for the 2008 convention, which
is expected to draw 35,000 delegates, media members and high-level
politicians to the Twin Cities area from Sept. 1-4. Tens of thousands of
protesters also could be coming.

The St. Paul survey, sent to police agencies across the state, asked
departments to estimate how many officers, first line supervisors or
command officers might be available and what their pay rates are. It also
asked about the availability of officers with special skills, such as SWAT
team members, canine handlers or mounted police.

Some of the questions that law enforcement leaders raised will be
addressed by a Joint Powers Agreement that will detail how St. Paul will
reimburse agencies for personnel costs and provide liability insurance
related to the convention.

Harrington’s letter indicates that officials expect to finalize and
distribute the agreement in the next two months.

The considerations

Rochester Police Chief Roger Peterson already has had preliminary
conversations with other staff members about what the department can
afford to dedicate. With Rochester being home to the prestigious Mayo
Clinic, often visited by dignitaries, Peterson said his 121 officers have
crowd control training that will be helpful at the convention.

But he is waiting on financial details and would like to clear up his main
concern: How will everyone communicate? For instance, will his officers’
800-megahertz radios work smoothly with every other officer and supervisor
working the convention?

Mankato’s Huettl said he understands the value of assisting other
departments. During a 2003 riot on the campus of Minnesota State
University, Mankato, authorities collaborated with more than 150 officers
from 41 agencies in northern Iowa and throughout the Twin Cities area.

But, Huettl said, he wants details about convention security plans before
he commits his officers.

Moorhead Police Chief David Ebinger said he is prepared to send canine
officers and motorcade help, if needed.

He knows he could call on Fargo and other nearby cities while his officers
helped with the convention.

“I certainly wouldn’t want to get us to where we would have to depend on
those,” he said.

St. Cloud Police Chief Dennis Ballantine said that although his department
is nearly twice the size of Moorhead’s and Mankato’s police force, he is
not sure he can send significant numbers to the convention. He plans on
meeting with St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis to talk about possibilities.

According to the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training,
as of October, there were 9,829 full-time peace officers in the state with
active licenses. They included local, county, state and tribal officers.
There were an additional 320 part-time officers with active licenses.

More than half of those officers work in the seven-county Twin Cities
metro area, according to POST Board Executive Director Neil Melton.
Retired officers could be reactivated as long as their training is up to
date, he said.

Dakota County Chief Deputy Sheriff Dave Bellows said it makes sense that
communities immediately surrounding St. Paul be intricately involved.

“St. Paul abuts right up to our county, so we’ll be more than willing to
provide human resources to help fill their needs,” Bellows said.

Officials there are already preparing to have a countywide SWAT team ready.

“Any impact that happens at RNC in St. Paul could potentially have an
impact on our county, too,” Bellows said. “We’re more than willing to help
out in any way we can.”