Missouri sent troopers to the Republican National Convention. Was it appropriate?
The Missouri State Highway Patrol sent 30 troopers to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last month, sparking criticism from some lawmakers as the agency struggles with vacancies.
The patrol’s presence at the RNC came at the request of Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, who issued an emergency declaration for assistance last July. Throughout the event, which occurred July 15 to 18, Missouri troopers provided security inside and outside the venue as well as traffic control spots.
The troopers worked 14-hour shifts each day of the event — costs that the state of Wisconsin will reimburse, said Capt. Scott White, a patrol spokesman. The decision came as the agency, which has roughly 1,100 troopers, has been plagued by a shortage of troopers across the state.
Rep. Deb Lavender, a Manchester Democrat who sits on the House Crime Prevention and Public Safety and Budget committees, criticized the decision in an interview, pointing to the shortage of troopers.
“Even without taxpayer dollars, which would have been outrageous, to take highway patrol out of Missouri when we’re already short, to police … a political convention is still very inappropriate,” Lavender said.
As of July 1, there were 168 vacancies inside the law enforcement agency, White said. Those are scattered throughout all nine troops with Troop D in southwest Missouri having the most vacancies. Troops covering Kansas City and St. Louis — Troops A and C — are down 13 troopers each, according to information from the patrol.
And Troop E, which covers more than a dozen counties in southeast Missouri has 14 vacancies.
While Missouri sent troopers to the RNC, it did not send any to the Democratic National Convention, held last week in Chicago. That’s because state and local officials didn’t ask for any, White said.
“The Patrol did not receive a request for assistance from Chicago or Illinois,” White said in an email responding to Star questions.
The patrol also sent troopers to the 2016 RNC and the 2021 inauguration of President Joseph Biden, he said.
Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, a St. Louis Democrat, said in an interview he also had concerns about the move due to the shortage of troopers.
“Since we are down at the highway patrol, and also across the state in a lot of our police departments, sending those resources…those skilled folks somewhere else — it could be a problem for us,” he said. “Especially since we have a shortage of law enforcement.”
Missouri officials faced similar criticism earlier this year when Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed an executive order sending up to 200 National Guard members and 22 highway patrol troopers to the Texas border with Mexico. Parson allowed the order to expire in June, touting the deployment as a “success.”
Republican state lawmakers were quick to defend sending troopers to the RNC. Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, a Parkville Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, noted the 54 delegates that Missouri sent to the convention.
“When there’s a large gathering of that kind involving elected officials and dignitaries from every corner of the country, I think it’s reasonable for other states to help secure the event,” he said. “If the RNC had been held in Missouri, we would have welcomed that support from other states.
Luetkemeyer added that he was “grateful for all the Highway Patrol did to help secure the RNC.”
Mixed responses on patrol post
At the RNC, which took place in Milwaukee from July 15 to 18, former President Donald Trump accepted his party’s nomination for president and Sen. JD Vance from Ohio accepted the nomination for vice president. All 54 delegates from Missouri cast votes for Trump.
A spokesperson for the Missouri Republican Party in a statement said the delegates were “really proud” to see state highway patrol troopers assist with security at the convention.
“They did an excellent job and represented our state well,” the statement said.
Those in the Missouri highway patrol who worked the convention received overtime, White said.
The patrol posted a photo on its Facebook page of the 30 troopers at the RNC. The vast majority of the commenters praised their presence at the convention, applauding Parson for sending them.
But a few questioned the move.
“I hope you do the same for the Dem convention,” wrote one. “Otherwise stop wasting our money on politics.”
In response to that comment, someone wrote: “Personally, I’m pretty disgusted by this. I feel sure Wisconsin had plenty of LEOs (law enforcement officers) to handle security.”
This story was originally published August 29, 2024 at 9:30 AM.
