PBSO On Standby For Possible Deployment To DNC In Chicago

The Democratic National Convention is being held in Chicago later this month and one local law enforcement agency is waiting to find out if they'll be helping to keep everybody safe.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw says that if they're called, he'll be sending what are known as "field force deputies."

"Deputies that are trained in crowd control, perimeter security. You know, how to handle large crowds and events."

He sent around 40 deputies to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month. Thousands of visitors and protesters are expected in Chicago and Bradshaw says his team knows just how to handle them.

“We’ve learned how to make sure that people can demonstrate safely, get their message out, yet not have a problem when they’re doing it. The main thing is just keeping people separated."

Also, he says, they make sure that people stay out of the street. The Sheriff cites as an example last week's visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Mar-a-Lago.

There were Trump and Israel supporters on one side of Southern Boulevard and anti-Israel protesters on the other side and there were no issues.

Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies have been planning for the DNC for more than a year and Bradshaw says security coordination includes a command center near the site.

“In that command post, there’s a member of the secret service, a member of each law enforcement agency and somebody that can coordinate everything - so if a deputy calls in and says, ‘I see a problem’, secret service knows about it instantaneously.”

He says PBSO is on standby for possible deployment to Chicago, but says there are some logistics involved, so he hopes the request comes in soon, if it does at all.