Letter regarding release of RNC CCTV Video Police Chief John Harrington, St. Paul Police Department, January 2nd, 2009 In response to many requests to publicly release the 6,000 hours of CCTV footage taken by the police in downtown St. Paul during the Republican National Convention, St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington wrote this letter to Michelle Gross from the organization Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) in which he claims that it would not be possible to "make readily available, to the public at large, copies of the video". Harrington also claims that "Beginning January 6th, 2009, all CCTV video will be available for viewing by you and any members of the public at large at the Saint Paul Police Western District, 389 North Hamline Avenue. [Read more]
Mobile Field Force teams and RNC Command Structure in Minneapolis Internal Documents, Minneapolis Police Department, August 1st, 2008 An amazing series of charts showing the organizational command structure of the Minneapolis Police Department Mobile Field Forces (i.e riot cop units) down to individual officer badge numbers and in some charts which riot control equipment individual officers were assigned. The charts were obtained through a Data Practices Request by an RNC '08 Report source. Includes charts of the MFF Command, the West District RNC Command Structure, West District MFF Divisions 6-10, the Bicycle MFF Command, MPD Bike Unit, and CART Teams. [Read more]
Map: Public Viewing Area during Convention St. Paul Police Department, July 31st, 2008
The public viewing area will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day and is part of an ongoing commitment by Saint Paul to make it possible and safe for anyone to be able to view and experience the convention. [Read more]
Plans to Target Transportation Infrastructure Surrounding Republican National Convention Highway Watch Information Sharing and Analysis Center, Department of Homeland Security, March 27th, 2008
The Republican National Convention-Welcoming Committee (RNC-WC) is an anarchist/anti-authoritarian group that formed in the spring of 2007 in order to disrupt or stop the Republican National Convention (RNC). It is likely that they will target transportation infrastructure surrounding the RNC in an attempt to accomplish their goal. The RNC-WC strategy utilizes a layered approach that emphasizes flexibility and diversity of tactics in order to maximize member strengths and knowledge, both individually as well as en masse. Overall, the RNC-WC’s early formation, comprehensive membership drives, strategic partnerships and flexibility is likely to result in a more robust and balanced effort than other groups’ at previous conventions. Also, a basic social network analysis shows the RNC-WC’s potentially high power centrality and betweenness relative to other protest/anarchist groups with similar intentions, and reveals that collaboration and information sharing are likely prevalent. [Read more]
Powerpoint presentation: National Special Security Events (NSSE) The 2008 RNC was designated an NSSE United States Northern Command, U.S. Department of Defense, March 4th, 2008
Unclassified briefing by Mario Carrillo (USNORTHCOM), Jean Lumley (FBI Miami) and Bill Lowry (Dolphin Stadium). A National Security Special Event is defined as "A significant domestic or international event, occurrence, contest, activity, or meeting which by virtue of its profile and/or status represents an attractive target for terrorist attack." Gives a good overview of the command structures that existed during the RNC. [Read more]
Policy and guidelines for investigations and information gathering operations involving First Amendment Activity Approved by Chief John Harrington, St. Paul Police Department, January 16th, 2008 A nine-page manual titled "Saint Paul Police Department's SIU Policy and Guidelines for Investigations and Information Gathering Operations Involving First Amendment Activity". In a February 25th, 2008 article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, titled "As convention nears, rules set for scrutiny of protesters", writer Randy Furst wrote: A new St. Paul police policy for investigating protest groups draws praise from police experts for its sensitivity to dissent, but criticism from those who worry that police will spy on activists leading up to the Republican National Convention.. "It looks like they are in the business of infiltrating groups," said Chuck Samuelson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, after reviewing a copy of the policy requested by the Star Tribune. "I am not sure what would prompt them to say that because I don't think that the document says that," responded Tom Walsh, a St. Paul police spokesman. [Read more]
MACC Daily Briefing Sheet for 8-31-04 during 2004 RNC in New York 1,187 protesters were arrested in a single day, in several mass arrests Multi-Agency Communications Center, Security Source, August 31st, 2004 This document from the Multi-Agency Communications Center identifies the number of people arrested a various locations on August 31, 2004 during the Republican National Convention in New York City. Mass arrests characterized that Convention, just as in St. Paul. According to press reports compiled by the New York Civil Liberties Union in their 2005 report, Rights and Wrongs at the RNC, arrests by day during the 2004 RNC in New York were as follows: Aug. 26: 22 arrests, Aug. 27: 264 arrests, Aug. 28: 10 arrests, Aug. 29: 253 arrests, Aug. 30: 13 arrests, Aug. 31: 1,187 arrests, Sept. 1: 21 arrests, and Sept. 2: 29 arrests. [Read more]
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