MILWAUKEE — Instead of kayakers and tour boats, the summer scene on the Milwaukee River took on a solemn tone this week during the Republican National Convention: Patrol boats on standby 24 hours a day, some with heavily armed officers.
Safety planners have been grappling with Milwaukee’s winding waterways near the Fiserv Center RNC convention site, as well as securing downtown streets. About a half-dozen police departments, along with state and federal agencies, are patrolling the river with boats 24 hours a day through the end of the convention this week.
“They’re dedicated to working those long shifts, day and night,” said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Joe Neff. “They’ve all worked together to make sure that public safety is a priority.”
Associated Press journalists were allowed to board a 29-foot U.S. Coast Guard boat Wednesday to observe the event. The boat, normally used for search and rescue operations, was traveling past the secure area of the convention site via Lake Michigan and the river that flows into it.
Much of the river is closed to commercial and recreational traffic this week, with a few exceptions, such as residents who live along the river. Within an hour, the Coast Guard boat passed Milwaukee police vessels, state conservation officers and a heavily armed Coast Guard Special Tactical Unit in camouflage.
The patrols are part of a huge security plan that Milwaukee police, the U.S. Secret Service and others have been detailing for more than a year. Security around former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, is very tight following the alleged attempted murder last weekend.
“There is no higher level of security that can be invested in events like this,” Milwaukee Police Chief Norman Jeffery told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
According to the Coast Guard, no major incidents on the water have been reported during the convention so far.
Patrol boats typically depart from a Coast Guard facility south of downtown on Lake Michigan before entering the mouth of the channel where the river begins. Speed is then reduced to 5 mph, and boats pass the restaurants and converted warehouses of Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward on their way to the secure zone.
The boats are tasked with guarding the bridges in downtown Milwaukee and keeping unauthorized persons and vessels out of the secured area.
They are also alert to anything suspicious.
As the Coast Guard vessel was sailing near the security zone downtown, the crew noticed something mysterious floating in the water. They turned the boat around and fished it out. They discovered that the object was just a red and gray nylon tarp that had been rolled up and posed no threat.
Coast Guard officials said they are continuing to perform their normal public safety duties this week thanks to assistance from other agencies.
“Yes, we have the national security event here, the RNC. That doesn’t mean we’re going to ignore the rest of our normal mission — search and rescue,” said Coast Guard Lt. Phillip Gurtler. “We still have the coverage we need.”