Republican National Convention Law Enforcement

Floor Speech

REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION LAW ENFORCEMENT -- (Senate - September 09, 2008)

Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I rise to express a word of enthusiastic appreciation to the thousands of courageous and principled law enforcement members who did their utmost to allow the Republican National Convention in St. Paul to proceed in an orderly fashion. I saw some of their work with my own eyes and want them to know we respect them and the vital role they play in our Nation.

It has been said that every society is defined by the boundary between each individual's right to do whatever they want and the broader community's right to peace and order. Societies without such a border disintegrate into chaos and eventually repression. That boundary is not an abstract philosophical construct, but the life's work of law enforcement personnel who enforce society's laws.

This past week we saw an extreme test of that principle as self-described anarchists, who represented a very small segment of thousands of peaceful demonstrators, sought to disrupt proceedings of the convention. Law enforcement personnel acted with professionalism, restraint and great skill in the face of serious threats to public safety. The great irony is the actions of law enforcement guarantee the future rights of protestors to protest. I only wish the small minority of violent protestors had not created a climate of fear that may have regrettably kept observers away and reduced the patronage of St. Paul businesses, that were counting on increased sales during the convention week.

The convention, the first in Minnesota since 1892, presented many logistical obstacles. St. Paul is a town of less than 300,000, not the kind of metropolis where these events are usually held. The ability of multiple jurisdictions to work together to scale up their response to the level needed was a great example of the Minnesota can-do spirit.

Many thanks are due, specifically to St. Paul chief of police John Harrington whose team was able to ensure the safety of all of our visitors, displaying Minnesota admirably in the national spotlight. Special thanks are also very much in order to the law enforcement officers who traveled from all over Minnesota and the rest of the country to assist in the security efforts.

I would also like to take a moment to express my thanks for the excellent work of a few other individuals during the convention: St. Paul assistant chief of police Matt Bostrum, Minneapolis chief of police Tim Dolan, Minneapolis deputy chief of police Rob Allen, Bloomington chief of police John Laux, Ramsey County sheriff Bob Fletcher, Hennepin County sheriff Rich Stanek, and Minnesota Department of Public Safety commissioner Michael Campion all deserve our gratitude. They, and their departments, performed with excellence in the way they did their duty and their integration with other departments.

The week of September 1, 2008, will be remembered by almost all of the thousands of visitors to Minnesota as a great week and proof-positive that our State is capable of putting on a world class event. The ability of our excellent law enforcement personnel to play defense against those who sought to disrupt the festivities allowed the people attending the convention and a worldwide audience to see an orderly process of our democratic society at its finest.

My heartfelt thanks to all the Minnesotans who worked so hard to make our dreams a reality.

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