The Dallas Police Department will assist with security for the Republican National Committee's midterm convention, which is expected to feature an appearance by President Donald Trump. But less than a month away from the event, it's unclear how much that will cost and how much the city will be reimbursed.
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The convention will be held at the American Airlines Center on Sept. 9 and 10.
It comes at a time when overtime for uniformed DPD police officers is projected to hit $2.7 million over budget for fiscal year 2026. Dignitary protection and protests are some of what drives police overtime.
Dallas police work to secure events whether they get reimbursed or not, Assistant Chief Mark Villarreal during a council briefing Wednesday.
"We got a duty to protect the public and make sure we provide a safe environment for those attending the event," Villarreal said. "We're either going to staff it with overtime officers or officers that are on duty, depending on if we can determine if we are getting reimbursement costs from the federal government for that."
City officials have not publicly disclosed how much security for the event will cost or details on reimbursement. Those details are expected to be presented to the Finance Committee on Monday.
Villarreal added that the city has a memorandum of understanding with U.S. Capitol Police that reimburses regular and overtime pay for dignitary operations, which applies to leaders of Congress.
"As far as Secret Service protectees, never in the history have we ever received any type of reimbursement from the Secret Service," Villarreal said.
The Secret Service protect foreign dignitaries, heads of state, the president, vice president, and cabinet members.
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