Secret Service hosts RNC security meeting; details not coming until mid-June

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The security setup for this summer's Republican National Convention (RNC) will include a two-layer security zone containing several checkpoints, but details beyond that are yet to be determined, officials said Thursday night.

The U.S. Secret Service, along with the RNC Host Committee and Milwaukee police and fire officials, held an informational meeting for downtown residents at the Baird Center.

The city had previously shared a general impact zone for which parts of downtown will be affected by the RNC. Generally speaking, the zone's borders are 6th Street to the west, Cherry Street to the north, Water Street to the east and Clybourn Street to the south.

Secret Service representatives said the impact zone will contain an outer perimeter and an inner perimeter.

The outer perimeter will largely be defined by vehicle checkpoints for any drivers trying to enter. The inner perimeter will be much stricter; pedestrians will need to show credentials to enter that area, which will include the convention's core buildings: Fiserv Forum, Panther Arena and Baird Center.

Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the Secret Service's RNC coordinator, said details about the exact location of the inner perimeter, as well as a list of checkpoint locations, will not be released for at least another two months.

"That information will be provided in the comprehensive security impact map that's released three to four weeks prior to the event," she told reporters after the meeting.

Lesley and John Bauer were among the attendees. They said they live just outside of the impact zone, and they had questions about what security measures would look like and when they'd go into effect.

"Are they actually gonna fence this whole perimeter in? And then there will there just be certain access points?" Lesley Bauer asked. "How's it gonna work for the days- and what days, also? Is it just the four days, or is it so many days before and a day after?"

Downtown residents John and Lesley Bauer look at a map showing the RNC security impact zone for the July convention.

The Secret Service representatives said they did not have exact dates for when the security zones would be active, but estimated the National Special Security Event designation would begin a couple days before the convention opens on July 15 and last for another day or two after the convention ends on July 18.

Speakers said drivers entering the outer perimeter will have to pass through checkpoints where cars will be searched. Gibson-Cicchino said the searches would be fairly quick, but traffic impacts would depend on how many cars were trying to enter at a given time.

Pedestrians would be able to walk freely within the outer perimeter, but anyone trying to access the inner zone would need to show identification.

"In order to enter into that inner perimeter, you would have to be a credentialed or ticketed individual," Gibson-Cicchino said.

The Secret Service said it's highly unlikely any residential buildings, such as The Moderne across from Fiserv Forum, will be included in the inner security zone.

However, other questions residents had, such as whether boats will have access to the Milwaukee River downtown and what how bus routes would be affected, will not have answers until at least mid-June.

"The security plans are still in development," Gibson-Cicchino said when asked why those details won't be released sooner. "We have many different entities involved in the planning, and there are many considerations involved, so they are still in development."