MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — Twenty-five officers from the Tulsa Police Department's Special Response Team and three from its Incident Management Team are in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention this week.
SRT officers are trained in a variety of tasks, including crowd management and logistical support, and will assist Milwaukee police with assigned duties as necessary.
TPD said IMT officers are trained to manage large-scale events, particularly those involving numerous agencies within the Incident Command System.
Tulsa Police Department SRT and IMT officers are among an estimated 3,600 additional officers nationwide responding to assist with the RNC.
"We opted to bring our own equipment and our vehicles," Lt. Todd Taylor told 2 News via Zoom on July 15. "That way, we have everything that we need to self-sustain while we're here at the location.
Lt. Todd Taylor leads the SRT, which has been around since 2018 to specialize in events where heightened security is needed, including then-president Trump's rally at the BOK Center in 2020.
The RNC will be a first for TPD, but Lt. Taylor said the unit has prepared for it since May 2023.
"It was a response to the Wisconsin Emergency Management Agency. They put out a request nationwide for officers to come up and support because they have a large footprint here, and they need a lot of officers to help secure the perimeter," he said. "All this is all done through a United States Secret Service Securities grant. So the City of Tulsa will be reimbursed for all the costs for fuel coming up here, all the payments, (and) the pay for the offers as well."
The trip to the RNC also comes with a massive elephant in the room, just days after Trump's attempted assassination. However, Taylor asserts there have been no changes to security practices.
"We've got some designated checkpoints and magnetometers that our groups are overseeing with the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security, and then we've got a couple of entry checkpoints as well," the lieutenant added. "So it does not appear to cause any difference in our daily mission."
He said spirits are high for this assignment, but so is concentration.
"We're excited to come here," Lt. Taylor said. "It's good if nothing else comes out of it. It's a very good training environment for us."
Lt. Taylor added TPD did not get any notification from anyone in Chicago or Illinois, so the unit will not be working the Democratic National Convention.
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