Local agencies tally Cheney costs

GRAND JUNCTION — With costs easily expected to range in the thousands of dollars, local agencies involved in the security effort for Vice President Dick Cheney say they won’t seek reimbursement for their work during Friday’s private political fundraiser.

Grand Junction Police Chief Bill Gardner — who estimated two-thirds of his agency’s operations staff had some hand in preparing for Cheney’s visit or were on the ground Friday — said there was discussion before the event about trying to recoup dollars from federal authorities or Republican political entities.

Gardner said they ultimately decided against it.

“It’s my experience we’d have no chance to collect,” he said.

Gardner also said such a request would be “bad protocol.”

“We didn’t pick the event. If he’s here to go fishing, we’d have the same responsibility.”

The chief also noted they were responding to a request for assistance from the U.S. Secret Service.

“We’ll get their resources when we need help on a federal level,” he said.

Grand Junction police shouldered the bulk of responsibility for Friday’s event, which included a total of 75 personnel from five local, state and federal agencies.

Cheney’s zip through town lasted just over two hours and included an appearance at a private fundraiser for Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer.

Gardner said GJPD committed about 40 people on Friday for various roles.

Officers in many cases were reassigned from normal duties, such as street crimes or the department’s Community Advocacy Program at Mesa Mall.

“There’s some overtime involved, but we’re fortunate in either these are exempt employees or they were scheduled to work anyway,” the chief said.

Hard costs should be tallied in about a week, he said.

Mesa County Sheriff spokeswoman Heather Benjamin said overtime costs for the agency’s 20 deputies should total several thousands of dollars.

Benjamin said she didn’t anticipate high costs because of the event’s brief time frame.

“Until each person turns in their hours, we won’t know OT,” Benjamin said.

An ambulance and engine company — six people in total — were on standby from the Grand Junction Fire Department on Friday.

“This comes out of our general fund,” said John Howard, Grand Junction Fire’s EMS division chief.

Supplemental security from the Grand Junction police, fire and the sheriff’s offices totaled over $10,000 for a campaign rally involving Cheney — and supporting several Republican candidates — at a privately owned hangar at then-Walker Field in October 2004.

Those costs were also absorbed locally.

Reach Paul Shockley at pshockley@gjfreepress.com.