CHARLOTTE (WCNC) – There is new information about security at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte in 2020.
NBC Charlotte has learned the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department is requesting out of state law enforcement to help during the big event.
It’s something that the state legislature would need to approve. Now, the city council is discussing the next step to make it happen. The city also used out of state law enforcement during the DNC in 2012.
NBC Charlotte has learned the request would involve thousands of out of state officers helping CMPD, so they can respond to their regular calls, because security is their top priority.
Councilman Larken Egleston said much has changed since the DNC 2012 in the Queen City.
“There’s a lot more concern, a lot more distrust,” Egleston said.
However, one clear similarity is that CMPD is once again asking for out of state law enforcement to help.
“There was a lot of that same tension, a lot of that same angst around the Republican nominee in 2016 in Cleveland, but it went very very well,” Egleston told NBC Charlotte.
NBC Charlotte has learned the city council is in the process of asking for the state’s approval.
“We’ll just be asking the general assembly, the state legislature, for permission for CMPD to utilize the out of state officers, and essentially deputize them for the week,” said Egleston.
“We still obviously need make sure we’ve got folks keeping traffic moving or keeping people safe and pointing them in the right direction,” Egleston said.
Egleston said they do not want to wait for the last minute because security is their top priority.
“Just having some extra hands on deck, made it that much easier for them to execute a plan that went very very well in 2012, we expect it’ll be the same in 2020,” Egleston said.
Off camera, Mayor Pro tem Julie Eiselt said they’re also working on obtaining a federal grant to pay for the extra law enforcement.
She said a $50 million grant covered costs, including law enforcement, at the DNC in 2012. However, she’s hoping for more grant money this time around.
Councilman Egleston said he’s hoping to get the state’s approval for the extra officers early next year.
