Milwaukee Police Department Seeks submersible robot for RNC security

WASHINGTON — The City of Milwaukee is scheduled to receive $75 million from the federal government to help cover its costs during the Republican National Convention in July.

The convention is expected to draw 50,000 people, and it’s been designated as a National Special Security Event, which requires local, state and federal law enforcement to work together.

“The RNC and the DNC historically have been some of our highest security events, even before our current political climate,” said Donell Harvin, a homeland security expert and Georgetown University faculty member.

Harvin said law enforcement will prepare for every scenario, even a cyberattack.

“And that particularly entails targeting critical infrastructure,” he said. “That critical infrastructure would be your power grid, primarily, but also your water… And the reason why is because they wouldn’t just look to shut down the water, they would look to kind of release harmful chemicals or have wastewater go into freshwater, try to cross those streams, those paths.”

Fiserv Forum is close to the Milwaukee River, and about a mile away from Lake Michigan. Preparing for every scenario includes the Milwaukee Police Department buying a submersible remotely operated vehicle, or ROV. The bid document said the department’s underwater investigation unit would use the ROV to “identify anomalies and targets of interest under the water.”

“It’s a simple solution to be able to deploy to work in tandem with their dive teams. We’re not here to replace the dive teams. We’re here to be a force multiplier,” said Sam Schmitt, the director of defense and government programs for VideoRay, a ROV manufacturer that works with the U.S. Navy.

The bid for the ROV is still marked as “pending” online. Schmitt said the company has not submitted a bid to provide the submersible but expects its technology will be used during the weeklong event, since many departments within the state have purchased VideoRay products. He said a sub-sea robot like this could help with security sweeps and cost more than $100,000.

“Whether you’re looking for some sort of parasitic device that may be there for listening, any type of improvised explosive device, or anything that could be a threat to security, our technology is being applied in those areas to be able to detect and to help kind of usher in the first responders to be able to take care of those situations,” Schmitt said.

The U.S. Secret Service told Spectrum News it’s planning for every possible scenario and is committed to creating a safe environment at the RNC. The Democratic National Convention will be a month later in Chicago and will be protected by a similar security plan.

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