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Cops pull out of agreements for DNC Hoedown in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (AP) — More than 100 police agencies are withdrawing from agreements to send personnel to bolster security at next month's Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, in part because they're concerned about a recent directive ordering police in the city to stop using tear gas to control crowds.

A citizen oversight commission last week directed Milwaukee’s police chief to publicly account for why the department used tear gas during protests in late May and early June after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and to change Milwaukee's police policies to ban the use of tear gas and pepper spray. The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission said in its order that Police Chief Alfonso Morales could be fired if he fails to comply.

That order came amid intense scrutiny of police tactics at protests in Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere.

Since the Milwaukee order was issued, more than 100 law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin and across the country decided against coming to Milwaukee, Morales told WTMJ-TV on Tuesday. They were concerned with directives placed on the police department, including not allowing tear gas or pepper spray, he said.

Morales did not say which agencies would not be coming or how many officers were still expected. The original plan was to have 1,000 officers on hand from outside agencies to assist with security. Morales said utilizing the National Guard or enlisting federal assistance was under consideration.

The convention, scheduled for Aug. 17-Aug. 20 at the Wisconsin Center in downtown Milwaukee, has been scaled down to a mostly virtual event, with only about 300 people expected to attend in-person. Most of the speeches will be delivered online from other locations, though former Vice President Joe Biden has said he will be in Milwaukee to accept the nomination. Despite the event's smaller scale, police are preparing for potentially large protests in and around the venue.

A spokeswoman for the convention did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday. The Milwaukee police oversight commission also did not return a message seeking comment.

Fond du Lac Police Chief William Lamb told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the agreements were collapsing, saying he expects other agencies in the state to also withdraw. Lamb chairs the Wisconsin Police Executive Group, which is made up of police chiefs from cities with populations of more than 20,000 people.

Lamb sent a letter to Milwaukee police on July 6 outlining his organization’s concerns about limiting the use of tear gas and pepper spray. West Allis police first sent a letter to Morales with concerns in mid-June after Milwaukee’s Common Council temporarily halted the purchase of those chemicals.

“Our concern is that in the event protests turn non-peaceful, such a policy would remove tools from officers that may otherwise be legal and justifiable to utilize in specific situations,” West Allis Deputy Chief Robert Fletcher told the Journal Sentinel in an email.

Waukesha’s police chief said he was consulting with the city attorney’s office on how to withdraw from the agreement, which had promised about two dozen Waukesha officers.

Not all police departments withdrew because of the tear gas order. The Madison Police Department notified Milwaukee early this month that “an accelerating COVID-19 pandemic coupled with ongoing protests in Madison" had strained its resources, making it impossible to commit resources to the convention, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

Madison originally committed to providing 100 officers to Milwaukee for what was to have been a 10-day convention before it got shortened and postponed until August.
 
Awesome. Now they get to test their community policing ideas. I'm sure AOC will be in the thick of things telling people to behave. Careful what you wish for... you might get it.
 
Unfortunately the Democrats will only use this as an excuse to cancel it live.
 
I would have thought the 'rona would have done that.

Trump already played the "out of the abundance of caution" card with the Republican convention. So the Democrats being the party of do the opposite of whatever Trump does or says...
 
Protests with a lack of police presence? I thought all we had to do was get rid of those mean ol' coppers and everything would be sunshine and fuckin rainbows?
 
Its 2020 bizarro world, the dems become the party of defunding the police, busting up a public sector union and in the process hire their own private security force for their convention.

Fucking crazy that they are championing defunding or abolishing one of the largest, most corrupt, unionized, and expensive government entities.
 
They'll be begging/grovelling for Trump to send feds in since the local LEOs tell the DNC/BLM/Little Mexico to pound sand. Let Biden get smoked/Kennedy'd for being petulant children to law enforcement the last 3-4 months.
This is absolute gold.:lmao:
 
Ah, the good ol' days of nightsticks, paddy wagons and German Shepherds.
Life was so much simpler then.
:lmao:

Tankers with monitor cannons is all they need. Roll in and advance until all protestors are peeled alive in sections by water. A 3rd shift and a ballsy tanker driver would do the trick.
 
I feel bad for local businesses as they’ll take the brunt of all this BS.
 
Yeah there will be no convention nor debates. Joe will come out of the basement when the election fraud is finally over and he's crowed king. Massive fraud.
 
Yeah there will be no convention nor debates. Joe will come out of the basement when the election fraud is finally over and he's crowed king. Massive fraud.

one guy on the radio this morning was saying "Joe has as much chance to actually pick his own running mate, as I do of controlling the weather. Somewhere, he's sitting in a room waiting to be told what to do."

nailed it.
 
one guy on the radio this morning was saying "Joe has as much chance to actually pick his own running mate, as I do of controlling the weather. Somewhere, he's sitting in a room waiting to be told what to do."

nailed it.

Yup, he's in participation trophy territory now. Part of me still thinks he is going to drop out and get replaced at the convention due to health reasons. At this point if the Dems put up Michelle Obama or Susan Rice they would get a lot more excitement on their side and someone who can really lay the smack down on Trump. The risk of replacing him is pissing off the Bernie wing who thinks he should be the nom.
 
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