RALEIGH -- Raleigh Police Chief Harry Dolan said today that the department spent $14,000 in additional personnel costs at the heated July 20 Wake County school board meeting.
A large contingent of Raleigh police officers responded last month, arresting 19 people who were disrupting the meeting to protest the elimination of the socioeconomic diversity policy. Dolan said the $14,000 figure represented how much was paid to bring in additional personnel to beef up those officers already assigned to work the meeting.
Jim Sughrue, a Raleigh police spokesman, cited security issues for declining to say how many officers responded to the meeting.
Dolan said the $14,000 will be funded through the department’s limited special events management budget. He said they'll need to identify additional funding sources if significant additional public safety costs continue to be required for school board meetings.
In addition to the police department's costs, school officials say they spent an estimated $2,197 for security costs on July 20. The school system has been hiring off-duty armed police officers to be at the meetings. The district has also brought in larger numbers of private security officers.
The school system has spent $20,690 on security at meetings since December. Large crowds of supporters of the old diversity policy have turned out at meetings with some willing to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience.
A large security presence is expected at Tuesday's board meeting.
The Raleigh Police Department has now installed its own video camera in the board meeting room to monitor what takes place.
