MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — We’re 213 days away from kicking off one of the biggest events Milwaukee has ever seen: the Republican National Convention.
But with all the excitement comes some very real questions including where the security zone will be.
“What can we do to ensure that we are going to respect the operations here, the residents here, but yet still be ready to hold a massive undergoing in regards to the convention?” said Chief Jeffery Norman, Milwaukee Police Department.
Four years ago, plans were laid out for the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
Spanning from Cherry Street on the north to Clybourn Street on the south, Water Street to the east and 10th Street to the west, it covered the full areas around Fiserv Forum, Panther Arena, and the Baird Center.
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman says while the final plan for the RNC won’t be revealed for months, it will definitely have similarities to this model.
“You don't want to try to recreate the wheel but again, trying to understand the personnel lift looks like, what is going to be the needs, and you know there's a lot of other things behind the scenes,” said Norman.
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski says while plans are still being worked out, we should be getting more concrete answers very soon.
“At some point in the first three months of 2024, January, February or March, the collective of everybody planning for the security and the safety of this event will reach a point where we need to share some of the information,” said Lipski.
Regardless of what decisions are made, Chief Lipski says that those who already live and work here won’t lose out on what they need.
“All the glitz and security and all the fanfare around that area; that's all well and good and necessary. But for people that have lived in this city for 42 years, they deserve to be taken care of just the same. They can't just be abandoned so that everything down here is squared away,” said Lipski.
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