Obama's Beverly Hills Security Remains Unpaid
Posted by Daniel Antolin on Nov 4, 2011 - 4:08:34 AM
President Barack Obama. Photo courtesy of White House.
BEVERLY HILLS—On Thursday, November 3, the Beverly Hills City Council agreed to further pursue an outstanding bill of more than $80,000 for having provided U.S. President Barack Obama with the city's protection when he twice visited Beverly Hills earlier this year in order to raise money for his 2012 re-election campaign.
Though no official vote was taken, city councilmembers agreed that seeking payment will be part of an ongoing discussion in light of the upcoming presidential election season, when politicians will likely start coming to Beverly Hills more often to raise money for their war chests.
"On both of the visits, President Obama resided overnight in Beverly Hills hotels. As a result, the City of Beverly Hills was actively involved in the planning, safety, security and transportation arrangements associated with a presidential visit," states a letter written by Beverly Hills Police Department spokesperson Mark Rosen to the Democratic National Committee seeking payment of $82,044.53.
The DNC's letter response was that as a private organization it did not participate in security or traffic control planning for the president, and assumed that the U.S. Secret Service would be the organization responsible for reimbursing the city. But the federal law enforcement agency does not reimburse police and fire departments for protection provided by their officers, who in doing so may be working overtime.
Beverly Hills Police Captain Mitch McCann told councilmembers during the study session meeting that the U.S. Secret Service does not reimburse cities because it lacks a program that would allow them to do so. At least that is what McCann was told by the head of the agency in the course of pursuing payment of the $80,000 bill. Instead, McCann said the agency apologized for not being able to help out, thanked the city for its efforts to keep the president safe and referred the matter back to the DNC.
Councilmember John A. Mirisch, who wanted to know where the buck ultimately stops, asked if the Secret Service could possibly put pressure on the DNC to pay the bill. But McCann said this is unlikely in that it is not within the agency's interest to do so.
Protection services in question are rendered by a five-member Special Tactics Unit (STU) staffed by the BHPD. They include setting up barricades, closing off streets, parking enforcement and public works.
McCann characterized providing this level of protection, despite the incurred costs, as "a necessary evil" because it allows police to negotiate with the Secret Service the president's travel routes and street lockdown times so that residents' mobility and access to local businesses are not hindered, he said. These were two areas of concern voiced by Mayor Barry Brucker and Vice Mayor William W. Brien during the study session.
Part of what makes it difficult to cut down on the time when streets are closed off before and after the departure of someone high-profile such as President Obama is that he may decide to stop to talk to someone, he may suddenly want to go somewhere not on an official itinerary or security measures may not yet be in place where he is going, McCann said.
In any case, the Secret Service prefers to keep streets clear should the president need to return. He provided as an example First Lady Michelle Obama's recent fundraising trip to Beverly Hills. Obama departed from the city and was halfway to the Los Angeles Staples Center when she decided to come back.
An added bonus to providing dignitaries with protection is being able to attract people to the city to see high-profile officials when they visit, McCann said. Brien said there is also a benefit to showcasing Rodeo Drive on TV for anything other than a movie during a visit from the president.
Denying Beverly Hills's protection services or making costs clear to the agency before they can be offered would allow the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and California Highway Patrol to fill in for free and call their own shots. Such a scenario runs the risks of losing control of the city's protection altogether, McCann told the council.
Julian A. Gold, the councilmember who requested that the item be included in the meeting's agenda, agreed that maintaining control of the city justifies the cost of protecting dignitaries, but that a single letter saying "no thanks" is not sufficient.
Not all dignitaries receive a full deployment of the city's protection services as does the president. Others such as former President Bill Clinton are assigned a single officer. Whereas Speaker of the House John Boehner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair have received no assistance. It all depends on dignitaries' status, perceived threat against them and the level of protection they already have.
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