After Trump rally shooting, no changes to GOP convention security plan

MILWAUKEE – Law enforcement officials said Sunday they are not increasing security for this week’s Republican National Convention, even as Wisconsin’s Democratic governor pushed to expand where guns would be restricted.

The law enforcement officials said they developed a robust plan over 18 months that does not need to be updated after the shooting Saturday at former president Donald Trump’s rally.

“There have been no changes to our current operational security plans for this event,” said Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the Secret Service coordinator for the convention.

Michael E. Hensle, the FBI special agent in charge of the Milwaukee field office, said law enforcement evaluated online activity and found “no articulated threat” to the Republican National Committee or individuals.

They spoke at a news conference ahead of Monday’s kickoff of the four-day convention and soon after Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers asked the Secret Service to work with the RNC to further restrict guns near the convention, according to a person briefed on the discussion who spoke about the sensitive matter on the condition of anonymity.

So far, the area where guns are restricted has not been changed. Guns are banned for the general public in and near the Fiserv Forum, where the convention is being held, but not elsewhere in downtown Milwaukee. Wisconsin law generally allows people to carry guns openly without a permit and to carry them concealed with a permit.

Gibson-Cicchino said she could not speak to the governor’s request because she had not had any conversations about it, but added she did not expect to change the security footprint that determines where guns are restricted. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported on Evers’s request.

The convention is being held two days after a gunman shot at Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was rushed offstage by Secret Service agents. Gibson-Cicchino declined to answer questions about the shooting, saying she would address only the convention.

Downtown Milwaukee is already heavily fortified for the convention. Its streets are lined with fences, concrete barriers, security checkpoints and officers in bulletproof vests.

On Sunday, the law enforcement officials sought to reassure the public, saying they are confident in the plan they have put together and would adapt it if circumstances change.

“I just wanted to reassure those not only in the convention but also in our city: We got this,” Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said.

Among the outside agencies assisting with convention security was U.S. Capitol Police, with a dozen officers walking the streets in uniform Sunday, including some wearing K-9 and bomb squad vests.

In an interview, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, a Democrat, said he joined a bipartisan coalition that successfully lobbied Congress months ago to increase the grant for security for the Republican convention from $50 million to $75 million.

“I’m a public safety mayor,” he said. “We want to make sure we have not just a safe convention, but a safe city.”

Johnson said he understands some convention attendees may be worried about security.

“In light of what happened yesterday,” he said, “that’s a question that would naturally come up in people’s minds.”

Brian Schimming, the chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party, said some delegates had expressed worries about safety after Saturday’s rally shooting but became more confident when they saw the police presence.

“Downtown Milwaukee is probably the most secure place on the face of the earth right now,” he said.

Members of Louisiana’s convention delegation toted clear plastic bags provided by convention organizers as they prepared to board a charter bus to a “Red, White and Brew” welcome event inside the secure zone Sunday evening. Many said they were confident the area had been secured.

“With the amount of police and security, I’m okay,” said Derek Babcock, chairman of the state GOP. “It’s probably a little more heightened at this one.”

Babcock, who works at an insurance agency outside Baton Rouge, said that as he traversed Milwaukee this weekend, he noticed more law enforcement than at RNC conventions he attended in 2016 and 2012. A gun owner and gun-rights supporter, Babcock normally opposes gun-free zones but said the convention is different. Like several others in his delegation, he said he left his gun at home but still felt safe.

“With most gun-free zones, you don’t have this level of security,” he said.

But Babcock still worried about his group’s safety away from the convention, so he contacted Milwaukee police and private security companies to see if they could better secure their hotel on the outskirts of the city.

“I don’t feel like there’s a significantly increased threat at all, but obviously there’s tension,” he said. “I don’t think anyone feels we’re in harm’s way. We just want to be prudent.”

Entering the secure zone late Sunday, Babcock said he was impressed with the security he saw. “I see the magnetometers here, they have people on the rooftops with binoculars on tripods, watching. They’ve got it pretty secure around here,” he said.

Suzanne White, 63, an alternate delegate from Baton Rouge, said she doesn’t think many attendees are fearful.

“All I sense is more resolve. I don’t in my circles here sense any fear,” she said. “We have a president who is willing to take a bullet for this country. How can we possibly fear going to this convention? We stand with him.”

Stephanie Soucek, a delegate from Sturgeon Bay, Wis., said after the shooting, she got text messages from others going to the convention who were worried about security. She said the number of police officers on the street helped alleviate her concerns.

“I kind of just reassured myself, because I know that security has been such a high focus,” she said. “And then, actually, after last night … I just know people will be on high alert.”

Steve Zipperman, an Arizona Republican delegate from a city north of Phoenix, said he was entering the convention with a feeling of uncertainty.

“We’re uncertain about the security measures that are going to be in place and about what’s Trump going to have to say about it,” Zipperman said. “We’d like to have a peaceful trip and event.” He expected the shooting to change security measures not just at the convention but also on the campaign trail.

“I think that the candidates on both sides have been very casual about security at this point,” he said. “In a way, it’s a wake-up call.”