Both cities hosting the 2024 presidential candidate nominating conventions this year have more money for security than ever before.
Milwaukee, which began hosting the Republican National Convention on July 15, and Chicago, which will host the Democratic National Convention next month, will each receive $75 million in funding for state and federal security instead of the $50 million host cities have received since 2004.
And although $75 million sounds like a lot of money, it can dry up quickly in such intense security events — and particularly in the wake of an assassination attempt on one convention’s presidential nominee.
A gunman opened fire on former President Donald Trump while he was rallying in Pennsylvania Saturday, grazing his right ear and killing an attendee. The incident opened up intense scrutiny of the Secret Service and the protections surrounding political leaders, prompting President Biden to order an independent review of security procedures at the event Sunday.
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It also led to questions as to if or how the Secret Service would adapt security protocols for upcoming events like the RNC, which began Monday. But the RNC Coordinator of the Secret Service said Sunday she was “confident” in current security plans for the Milwaukee event and was “not anticipating” expanding the security perimeter.
So with that $75 million, what security efforts are in place at the some 50,000-person event? Former U.S. Secret Service Agent Melanie Burkholder joined Scripps News to share her inside knowledge.
Since it’s a national security event, Burkholder said multiple agencies will be involved to secure the area, with the Secret Service primarily being responsible for the inner area. And she told Scripps News that the Milwaukee Chief of Police told her this year’s RNC has the largest inner area there’s ever been.
“That means you’re going to need more bodies, and that’s what the $75 million will go toward, personnel and technology: trying to use technology to our advantage to render areas safe, to monitor areas once we go and sweep the area. We want it to stay clean, meaning only credentialed individuals can cross the path,” Burkholder told Scripps News.
Watch the video above to hear what Burkholder said the changes to Trump’s security could entail, why the Secret Service’s retention issues may be occurring and other security efforts in place that we might not know about.
