Campaign '08

Police To Help RNC Protest Leaders Keep The Peace

(WCCO) Police in the Twin Cities have spent months training for the Republican National Convention, expecting thousands of protesters to be on hand.

On Wednesday, a group of officers began a different type of training aimed at building communication with protesters before and during the convention.

Sergeant Jane Laurence works as a hostage negotiator for the St. Paul Police Department. Sergeant Chris Pickhardt has a similar assignment in Minneapolis.

For the next six weeks, the sergeants will be in charge of a group of 19 "dialogue officers" who will reach out as liaisons to demonstration organizers planning to protest at the RNC being hosted in St. Paul.

"To develop that relationship, so they feel they have somebody they can come to and talk to when they have issues that are going on during the protests," explained Sgt. Pickhardt.

Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Relations Unit conducted training for the officers. The training included role playing and lots of discussions of potential contingency situations at the RNC.

As hostage negotiators, the officers are accustomed to dealing with high-stress crisis situations with a goal of a peaceful, safe ending. That's the same goal for the 4-day convention that begins September 1.

"What we're hoping as dialogue officers, negotiators, is that we can help this message get spread and help groups to come and be prepared for a peaceful demonstration here at the RNC," said Sgt. Laurence.

The officers will carry special cell phones and have offered their numbers to the protestors, along with email addresses. They hope they will get called if protestors run into problems on the streets.

"It is an invitation to participate, not a summons to appear," added Sgt. Laurence.

So far, very few protest organizers seem ready to accept the invitation.

"We have what we need within our own networks and resources. What we need from city is to not trample on our rights," said Katrina Plotz of the Anti-War Committee.

Police said similar liaison efforts have proven successful during demonstrations in Europe and Canada.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)