When Vice President Mike Pence comes to Tucson today, the city of Tucson will pick up the cost of additional security offered by the Tucson Police Department.
City officials note it has been a long-standing policy not to charge for increased security detail. The Tucson Police Department will deploy officers along the route he travels as well as anywhere the Vice President will visit during his stay in the area. Pence is planning to visit a Caterpillar training site Thursday afternoon in Green Valley.
The Trump presidential campaign owes the city of Tucson more than $80,000 for a 2016 visit that required roughly 180 police officers to provide security.
The issue, in a nutshell, is the city has a policy not to charge for additional security for various dignitaries.
The policy, as outlined by City Attorney Mike Rankin, states that for events that are important to the community — including those that allow residents to participate in the democratic process — the city will provide enough police officers to ensure the safety of the public.
And at no cost.
The policy doesn't apply when political campaigns rent out the city-owned Tucson Convention Center for campaign rallies requiring a large police presence, as both the Trump and Bernie Sanders campaigns did in 2016.
The city is still trying to get the Trump campaign to pay an $81,837 bill for police services, while the Sanders campaign owes $44,013.
A rally in 2016 featuring former President Bill Clinton at Sunnyside High School cost the district roughly $3,000, but Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign reimbursed the district.
