DENVER—Denver police have asked suburban departments to loan them officers to help patrol the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Chief Gerry Whitman made the request in a letter sent to metro area chiefs recently, spokesman Sonny Jackson said.
So far, Aurora has pledged 300 officers, about half of the city’s patrol officers, for five days, as long as Denver agrees to reimburse the city and won’t hold it liable if anything goes wrong.
“I worked the ’92 DNC as a young captain in New York,” Aurora chief Daniel Oates said. “I know what’s involved, and that was pre-9/11. I also believe it will be a tremendous policing experience for my cops.”
Jackson wouldn’t discuss details of the convention security plan. “That’s not good, to let the bad guys know,” he said.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., and other members of a House subcommittee plan to discuss suburban police help for the convention during a hearing in Aurora on Friday. They also plan to talk about the need for local, state and federal agencies to share information before the convention.
Nearly 5,000 delegates and alternates and thousands more family members, media and others are expected to be in Denver for the Aug. 25-28, 2008, convention.
