More than 100 police agencies have backed out of agreements to send personnel to help with security at next month’s Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The Daily Caller reported.
The original plan was to have 1,000 officers on hand from outside agencies to assist with security.
Police agencies began to back out of their security agreements after a civilian oversight commission ordered a change in the policies for the department and essentially ban tear gas and pepper spray use to subdue unruly crowds, according to a report from Wisconsin AM radio.
More than 100 police agencies back out of DNC security agreementshttps://t.co/55CfPWVuQf
— Jeffrey Lord (@realJeffreyLord) July 28, 2020
Due to fears about the spread of coronavirus, the convention in downtown Milwaukee, had already been scaled down to a mostly virtual event, with only about 300 people expected to attend in-person. However former Vice President Joe Biden has said he will be in Milwaukee to accept the official presidential nomination. Extra security was added as a precaution for the expected large protests in and around the venue, WTMJ reported.
The Democratic National Convention is expected to take place August 17-20 at the Wisconsin Center in downtown Milwaukee.