TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa City Council has agreed to spend $24.8 million from a federal security grant to pay local and out-of-town law enforcement officers to work during the Republican National Convention.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that officials plan for Tampa police officers and Hillsborough County deputies to have the most contact with the 15,000 protesters expected at the Aug. 27-30 convention. They work together already, know the community, will have the most training and will have the biggest stake in how the rest of the world sees Tampa.
Of that $24.8 million, $4 million is earmarked for city salaries. The other $20.85 million will go to 3,000 or more officers from 63 different agencies around Tampa Bay and the rest of the state.
Associated Press