Milwaukee Wants To Avoid Philadelphia's DNC $50 Million Foul-Up

MILWAUKEE, WI — Milwaukee leaders want to get every penny of federal reimbursement money in order to cover the roughly $50 million expected security costs associated with the 2020 DNC. All you have to do is go back to the 2016 DNC in Philadelphia to find out how record keeping gone awry nearly cost that city millions of dollars.

"This is not something you cram for the night before, this is a very detailed submission," Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said.

Earlier this year, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said the security effort for the 2020 Democratic National Convention is going to be "all hands on deck," meaning that his police department will work with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, plus state and federal law enforcement agencies.

First the city has to fund the initial cost for security. Then the federal grant reimburses those costs.

"Documentations, following procurement rules, making sure items are reimbursable," Barrett answered when a reporter asked him what the major stumbling blocks might be to getting all the reimbursement money.

The Mayor said his team has visited several past convention cities to see what they learned - and what they recommend in terms of best practices. "Tell us what we should do and tell us what we should not do," he said. "We want to build on the experience that they've had."

Milwaukee To Get Same $50 Million That Philadelphia Got

Local leaders say they expect to receive $50 million based on the fact that the City of Philadelphia received the same amount from Congress to provide security during the 2016 Democratic National Convention — yet the spending during the 2016 DNC in Philadelphia was so fast and furious, it took months for local leaders to account for it all.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, it took Philadelphia officials more than 15 months to scrounge up the appropriate documentation to meet federal guidelines for security during the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

All Was Not Well In 2016

According to a U.S. Department of Justice investigation following the conclusion of the 2016 DNC, Philadelphia officials bungled nearly a third of their $50 million federal grant - and had to account for it all.

"We found significant deficiencies in Philadelphia's management of the grant funds, and overall, we identified over $14 million in unallowable or unsupported expenditures," Inspector General Michael Horowitz said. "We found that Philadelphia didn't have effective internal controls for grant administration," according to a Philly.com report.

Here is a sample of unexplained expenses found in the report:

• The Philadelphia Fire Department double-billed some of the $1 million it said it needed in overtime costs, according to the Morning Call.
• Investigators found that the Philadelphia Host Committee paid $7.6 million to 69 law enforcement agencies without telling them how it could be spent. According to Philly.com, those agencies billed for overtime, fringe benefits, travel time, bus rental, equipment purchases and meals and lodging against guidelines.
• Philly.com also reported that the DNC host committee gave $6.4 million in grant money to various vendors including a bus company, private security firm and for the purchase of scanning equipment that did not follow federal and local rules.

Security Offerings

Milwaukee will provide police escorts for all DNC personnel who deliver credentials to state delegations and the media at respective hotels.

They're also on the hook for providing security at the DNC headquarters hotels and other convention hotels in the Metropolitan Area as well as special security protection for delegates and other officials.

Milwaukee police will also provide a private network of IP security cameras in and around all Convention Offices so that DNC security staff may securely monitor in and around Convention Offices from any location via an Internet connection.

They'll install and operate magnetometers, hand scanners, package scanners/x-ray machines and provide safes for DNC staff and state delegates.

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