MILWAUKEE — The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee is quickly approaching and one of the biggest parts of preparing revolves around security.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard shared some insight on extra precautions that will be taken on waterways during the event in July.
The planning for this event has been a lot of work for agencies across Wisconsin and the country. Security plays a big role and the U.S. Secret Service said its planning for this year’s RNC has been in the works for over a year.
When it comes to safety on the water, members of the U.S. Coast Guard’s maritime security response team are working closely with local and federal law enforcement agencies to keep waterways safe for the big event.
Milwaukee is positioned with wonderful access to the water, which means Lake Michigan and the rivers that flow through downtown are access points to the city. Work is being done to make sure the land where more than 50,000 visitors will attend the convention from July 15-18 is safe from all angles.
“After reviewing a thorough assessment, the Secret Service and the U.S. Coast Guard has determined that there will be some restrictions on the Milwaukee River during the week of the RNC,” 2024 RNC U.S. Secret Service coordinator Audrey Gibson-Cicchino said.
The U.S. Secret Service is not sharing specific details yet. However, some Milwaukee boat companies say they’ve been told the Milwaukee River will be closed to all recreational and commercial traffic during the event. On Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard, along with Milwaukee Police, Milwaukee Fire, the Department of Natural Resources, and Customs and Border Protection, met in Milwaukee to go over planning.
These agencies held what’s called a “Table Top Exercise” or TTX. This allows the agencies to run through scenarios and situations that may occur on the water and how best to deal with them before getting out on the water.
“The tabletop is an essential part of our planning process,” Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan Lt. Anthony Gallegos said. “It really allows all of the partners to get together to discuss possible scenarios and discuss all the different assets or capabilities before we put them on the water.”
Residents of the Milwaukee area should prepare for the added security presence on land and water during the RNC. Gallegos said the Coast Guard’s presence will be known throughout that week.
“We are out there. We are still ready to do our national security mission,” he said. “We are ready to do our search and rescue mission. The public can be confident they are going to see the Coast Guard out there.”
More security details are expected to be released to the public three weeks prior to the convention.