The attempted assassination of former President Trump Saturday at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, made the heavy police presence Monday well known.
With hundreds of politicians filling the city and several more civilians taking to the streets, an already heavily secured event made some last-minute adjustments to ensure the safety of everyone present.
Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Florida, said she’s already noticed the heightened security measures as a result of the incident.
“We’ve already seen an uptick in tempo as far as the rounds being made, metal detectors being installed, additional fencing going up and I think that that is a very good precaution,” she said.
With precautions in place that already took roughly 18 months to build, the original perimeter around the convention area was expanded to prevent another shooting from beyond the access points.
The shooter from Saturday, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was outside of the Secret Service perimeters but still killed a spectator and struck Trump’s ear.
The FBI has opened an investigation into the assassination attempt.
“It was a very unfortunate situation,” said state Sen. Ileana Garcia, R-Miami. “I was petrified to think that an amateur could’ve gotten that close to him.”
More than 24 states sent police to assist in securing the area, with more than six forces coming from Ohio, North Dakota and Florida.
Kevin Neal, delegate and chair of the Palm Beach County Republican Party, said he feels very safe going into this week.
“It looks like they’re doing a great job,” he said. “The security is very intense.”
Downtown Milwaukee is filled with “hard” and “soft” security zones for the week, where every vehicle is thoroughly screened by police and K-9 units, and everyone is expected to go through checkpoints similar to airport security — where all bags are scanned through imaging technology and all guests walk through metal detectors.
Every time someone exits the established borders, they are sent right back through all the same measures.
Although no weapons are allowed within the barriers, what happens outside of the police-patrolled perimeter is much less controlled.
Wisconsin state law allows carrying firearms, meaning outside of the established perimeter firearm possession is legal.
On top of the heightened security in response to Saturday’s shooting, preparation for several protests outside of the barricades was discussed with politicians in attendance.
“I was briefed that there was going to be a counter-protest area, and at that point, no one had filed for a permit to protest,” Cammack said.
Around 1 p.m. more than 500 peaceful protesters with the Coalition to March walked the streets of Downtown Milwaukee chanting “The whole damn system’s got to go” and “The people united will never be defeated” while holding signs reading “Stop Trump and racist republicans” and “Stand with Palestine.”
Aubrey Gibson-Cichino, the U.S. Secret Service RNC coordinator, said they feel secure in the protective measures set in place to keep those in attendance safe, regardless of the circumstances.
“We are confident in these security plans that are in place for this event,” she said. “We’re ready to go.”
More than 4,000 officers from across the country are stationed throughout the event, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“At the end of the day, we just want people to be able to relax, feel confident, feel safe and we would expect and hope for the same thing at the Democratic convention as well,” Cammack said.