CCP 06-24-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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AGUE OF MINNESOTA CITIES June 11, 2008 To: LMCIT Members CONNECTING &L INNOVATING SINCE 1913 Re: Considerations in responding to requests for public safety assistance at the Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) will be held in St. Paul, Minnesota from September 1-4, 2008. The Saint Paul Police Department (SPPD) is the lead local agency responsible for providing public safety and crowd control during the convention and related events preceding the convention. To provide for public safety and crowd control, the SPPD is seeking the assistance of a number of non-SPPD law enforcement personnel, including law enforcement personnel from cities that are members of the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT). St. Paul has developed a "Joint Powers Agreement Regarding Public Safety Related to 2008 Republican National Convention" (JPA) that must be executed by each city planning to provide law enforcement personnel during the RNC. It is LMCIT's understanding that St. Paul wishes to • have the same agreement with all governmental entities. Accordingly, SPPD has indicated the terms of the JPA are not negotiable at this point in time. A number of LMCIT members have asked us to review and provide comments regarding the JPA. The decision whether to enter into a JPA with St. Paul to provide public safety services in conjunction with the RNC is one each city will need to consider and make for itself. A city's choice to assist may depend on its own evaluation of the risks, staffing availability, adequacy of proposed reimbursement terms, etc. Please remember that in most cases only the city council is authorized to enter into contracts — so the decision to provide assistance to the RNC under the JPA is one that the city council needs to make, most likely after hearing from the police chief and city attorney. JPA Considerations The most critical item LMCIT would note in a city's consideration is the way that liability is handled under the JPA. Typically in a joint powers or mutual aid agreement, LMCIT advises cities to try to put all liability with one party to the agreement. For example, we routinely recommend the city requesting assistance should accept liability. This approach is consistent with the way Minnesota Statutes, Section 12.331, which authorizes political subdivisions to provide emergency aid to each other, allocates liability in disaster assistance situations. • LEAGUE OF MINNESOTA CITIES INSURANCE TRUST 222 SOUTH 9TH ST., SUITE 1300 PHONE: (612) 766-3000 FAX (612) 766-3199 LOSS CONTROL FIELD SERVICES MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55402-3332 TOLL FREE: (800) 449-7707 WEB: WWW.LMC.ORG