Posted on 04/18/2007 10:51:31 AM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo
The Ramsey County sheriff has prepared a $4.4 million budget for security during the 2008 Republican National Convention, with a plan to handle the arrests of as many as 3,000 protesters.
Sheriff Bob Fletcher's proposal includes money for a possible open-air, fenced detention facility next to the county workhouse, riot equipment and Tasers, and $1.7 million for officers' overtime.
Boston and New York City, which hosted the national political conventions in 2004, prepared for similar numbers of arrests but wound up arresting fewer. Fletcher said things could be different in 2008.
"The tenor of the country's feelings about the war in Iraq is different than it was four years ago," Fletcher said.
Planning for 3,000 arrests drew criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union in Minnesota. Charles Samuelson, the group's executive director, said he was concerned that the number might be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
St. Paul police Commander Joe Neuberger rejected that. Ramsey County simply needed a number to start with, he said.
"Our goal is to arrest no one," he said.
St. Paul police are primarily responsible for arrests, with the sheriff's office responsible for handling prisoners. Fletcher said the proposed expenses were to make sure "we treat the detainees with dignity and respect."
Fletcher said he hoped the county's security costs would be covered through a $50 million federal convention security appropriation pending in Congress. His proposal may go to the county board by late summer.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Department hasn't yet been asked to develop a convention budget, Sheriff Rich Stanek said. He said he didn't know of any estimates of protest arrests in Minneapolis.
Haha.
Round up those stinky hippies.
Will Demoncrats have the same kind of bill for security or will that magicalluy be paid for by taxpayers?
Perhaps I am not reading this correctly ... ?
Won’t happen.............muzzie cab drivers will refuse to transport the evil Republicans (it’s against their “religion”, don’t you know) from the airport, so the convention will have to be cancelled.
I predict 600,000 violent protestors funded by George Soros. This city is screwed.
Round their butts up and roll ‘em off to jail!
St. Paul police Commander Joe Neuberger...........”Our goal is to arrest no one,” he said.
freudian slip?
It all comes at tax payers’ expense. Just which pot does it come out of. State or federal...
But I thought that Democrats and liberals were against violence?
Well, I guess there’ll be no arrests, then. /sarc
Who made the stupid decision to hold the Convention in MN anyway?
RNC?
I’m sure my alma mater (Macalester) will be well represented...
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Department hasn't yet been asked to develop a convention budget, Sheriff Rich Stanek said. He said he didn't know of any estimates of protest arrests in Minneapolis.
Since when does he need to be asked, to do his job? If he hasn't started planning, yet, he's a long way behind the curve.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio's open air facility.
This will be a great opportunity for the DOD to field test their new energy pulse weapons.
Send ‘em to Club Gitmo. Let em hang with their mooselim brothers.
I’m no longer a St. Paul resident, so this doesn’t directly affect me, but for the sake of my friends and former neighbors, I hope the city doesn’t have to absorb all the cost.
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