"We are well on our way to meeting our goal of having far more than adequate staffing for the RNC," he told reporters at a press conference outside the Xcel Energy Center this afternoon.

The SPPD has so far completed 54 joint-powers agreements with other law-enforcement agencies in the state, clearing the way for them to send officers to assist on security details. Another 27 such agreements are still in the works. Chief Harrington declined to provide a specific number for how many officers have currently been pledged to work the four-day convention, saying that it is changing by the hour. "Any number I gave you now in fact would be wrong by the time I got back to the office," he said.

The SPPD has stated in the past that it hopes to secure 3,500 officers from other agencies to assist with the event. There are currently 10,300 licensed cops in the state, meaning that more than a third of them would have to sign on to meet that goal. Some agencies have been hesitant to enter into joint-powers agreements citing financial concerns and fear that their own departments will end up short-handed.

Harrington acknowledged at the press conference that out-of-state police departments have been contacted to see if they'd be willing to contribute cops to the cause. Law-enforcement agencies in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois have been surveyed to see what resources they might bring to the table if the SPPD comes up short in its in-state recruitment drive. "That's still a conversation we're having," he said.

Harrington also acknowledged, as MnIndy reported earlier today, that the department sent out an email last week to area fire departments seeking 200 recruits to help with RNC duties. But Harrington stated that the firefighters will be limited to traffic control and will not be involved in law-enforcement duties.

Harrington was joined by Michael Campion, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, along with officials from the Minneapolis Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. But one local law-enforcement agency was notably absent: the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Bob Fletcher says it was no accident that his office wasn't represented. "It appears the press conference was designed to suggest that all is well and that everything is ready, and at this point the sheriff's office doesn't share that view," Fletcher says. "I think Chief Harrington has underestimated the ability of the anarchists to cause mayhem. That's why the sheriff's office has been pushing for a target of 4,000 since last March. But it's also clear that even the 3,500 goal has not yet been reached."

www.minnesotaindependent.com/view/convention-cops