Official balks at DNC funding

Councilman wants to look over whole budget for security

By Daniel J. Chacon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 6, 2008 at 9:30 p.m.

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Doug Linkhart serves as chairman of council's safety committee.

The chairman of the Denver City Council safety committee says he won't authorize an expenditure of $20 million on security for the Democratic National Convention until he sees the whole security budget.

The city's Budget and Management Office and the Safety Department, which have already spent $5 million on four pieces of police and firefighting equipment, are asking the council to authorize an additional $20 million in security-related spending.

"This will get us up to $25 million," said Councilman Doug Linkhart, chairman of the safety committee, which will consider the request this morning.

Linkhart expects the committee to meet with administration officials in executive session to discuss the overall security budget.

"I don't want to give them authorization to spend $20 million unless I know how they're going to spend the whole $50 million," Linkhart said. "I want to see the whole package in as much detail as they're able to give."

Linkhart said the $20 million being requested includes $1.85 million for liability and workers' compensation insurance policies for police and about $2 million for more equipment, including a SWAT vehicle, an interagency communication system and an "amplification system."

Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz, chairwoman of the finance committee, also has asked the administration where the city is on spending.

"I want that promise that the city taxpayers wouldn't have to directly or indirectly fund the DNC," Faatz said.

"I want that principle adhered to."

On Monday, Katherine Archuleta, a senior adviser to Mayor John Hickenlooper, said the city was within budget and planned to stay that way.

"We review all of the items that are being requested, whether it's personnel or equipment, and obviously we have to be within that budget," she said. "We will not exceed that $50 million."

Money isn't such a concern for protest organizers, but they say the purchase of police equipment for the DNC is wasteful.

"I'm worried about the message they're sending, but I'm not worried about it actually being used," said Adam Jung, an organizer with the protest group Tent State University. "It sends a message that they're trying to criminalize nonviolent demonstrators."

Glenn Spagnuolo, an organizer with the Recreate 68 Alliance, another protest group, agreed.

"There's no need to overmilitarize our community and utilize these military weapons on a civilian population," he said.

But police are "planning for anything," said Linkhart, who added that he supports their efforts.

"It does sound like we're preparing for an invasion or something, doesn't it?" he said. "But hey, we get the equipment afterwards, so you never know what we might get to use it for."

chacond@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5099

• May 7, 2008

  7:30 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Oh_Wise_One writes:

  Gene, it isn't Rush or the ditto heads that will be rioting if indeed it does happen. It will be the kooks, anarchists, fruitcakes and Code Pinko's of the left.
  "Don't taze me bro!"

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