How US Secret Service, Milwaukee Police will keep RNC secure

(NewsNation) — Former President Trump recently said he believes the crime in the Republican National Convention host city Milwaukee needs “fixing.” Daily crime data posted by local law enforcement shows the city saw a significant drop in most criminal offenses.

Homicides are down 15 percent year-to-date, rape (-19 percent), aggravated assault (-11 percent), and burglary (-21 percent), according to city crime data as of Friday.

Milwaukee has seen increases in some types of offenses including robbery, which is up 2 percent from this time last year, human trafficking (+11 percent), and carjacking (+14 percent).

Local, state and federal law enforcement is tasked with keeping a downtown area infiltrated by an additional 50,000 people secure.

Keeping the downtown area secure remains a priority as does making sure that Milwaukee residents who call the city home year-round still feel like they are receiving the law enforcement efforts they expect.

“We have to understand that, yes, we do have a large event that’s going on downtown,” Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman told NewsNation. “But there is still that greater responsibility of ensuring there is that adequate coverage of the rest of the city because the city deserves protection not only downtown, but across the city.

“But this is what I call all hands on deck.”

RNC threat assessment

Heading into the four-day political convention, the U.S. Secret Service has announced there is “nothing credible” regarding direct threats involving the downtown region where the event will take place.

Federal officials characterize the security situation as constantly “evolving” in the case of both next week’s RNC and the Democratic National Convention, which is slated for August in Chicago.

In a new threat assessment report, special political events like the RNC are “attractive targets for domestic violent extremists, foreign terrorists and lone offenders looking to disrupt democratic institutions or cause ‘societal chaos.’”

The Secret Service will serve as the lead law enforcement agency for the RNC and oversee the design and implementation of the event’s security plan, an agency spokesperson told NewsNation. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the city received $75 million in federal grant money for security costs at the RNC.

Chicago will receive the same funding for the DNC in August, according to the report.

Efforts are coordinated with the Milwaukee Police Department as well as the Wisconsin State Patrol to ensure those who are attending the convention remain safe. However, out of concern for operational security, the Secret Service does not discuss what specific security measures will look like, the spokesperson said.

Norman said success comes down to communication and trust in the planning that has gone into the event.

“I know we’re going to have enough heads of the respective agencies and elected leaders to be able to come together and rise up to the occasion,” he said.

Possibility of extremists

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said in an interview with ABC News that extreme political polarization plays into the possibility of a security threat at an event like one of the two upcoming conventions.

“I think that the environment that we’re dealing with today is certainly different than it was four years ago,” Cheatle said. “I’m sure we’ll see an evolution in the next four years, as well, but it is definitely something that we take into consideration.”

The Secret Service said it uses a unified command model in which various levels of law enforcement coordinate the different aspects of the security plan. The collaborative effort includes the city and county Offices of Emergency Management, which work closely with the Secret Service and other local and state agencies.

“The expertise of each participating agency is critical to the success of the operational security plan,” Secret Service spokesperson Alexi Worley wrote in an email to NewsNation.

Because of the political nature of the convention, Norman knows that keeping things safe in the midst of what has been a sometimes hostile political landscape makes this different.

“It is no secret that there are some challenges with our politics, not only locally, but nationwide,” Norman said. “But we’re just supposed to be neutral when it comes to that protection and response. No matter what your political leanings are, what your feelings are, it is a mutual respect for both sides and all sides.”

RNC security allows for some guns

The security measures are being put into place at a convention at which certain firearms can be brought into the security area outside of Fiserv Forum and other buildings where convention events will be held, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Weapons banned by state law include machine guns, fully automatic weapons, short-barreled shotguns, and silencers.

Milwaukee Alderman Scott Spiker said the idea of guns being allowed in the soft area “looks ridiculous,” the Journal Sentinel reported. Other leaders, such as Common Council President José G. Pérez said that while law enforcement agencies are working to keep the area safe, the allowance of guns into some areas around the RNC is “a concern.”

Milwaukee a ‘horrible city’ due to crime, Trump allegedly said

Trump allegedly characterized Milwaukee as a “horrible city” in a private meeting with House Republicans. He’s also criticized other Democrat-run cities like Chicago and Washington, D.C., citing levels of violent crimes.

A Trump spokesperson said the former president never called the city itself horrible, but instead was talking about “how terrible crime and voter fraud are.”

In a campaign stop in nearby Racine, Trump changed his tone, saying he loves Milwaukee and claimed credit for choosing the city to host the RNC. However, he said the city’s crime levels needed to be “fixed”.

In response, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson defended the city while criticizing Trump’s time in the White House.

“If Donald Trump wants to talk about things that he thinks are horrible, all of us lived through his presidency. So, right back at you, buddy,” Johnson told reporters. “It is kind of strange that he would insult the largest city in Wisconsin because he’s running for president; he absolutely wants to win Wisconsin, win the election. So, to insult the state that’s hosting your convention, I think, is kind of bizarre actually. It’s kind of unhinged.”

Norman, the police chief, said as a lifelong resident, he takes pride in the city and the way it represents itself as it takes center stage for Republican politics.

“This is going to be our time to shine,” Norman said. “I will never say there’s not going to be challenges, but we’re going to work through them … But this isn’t about the police. It’s about the RNC. It’s about showcasing our city.”