BOZEMAN — Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Bozeman on August 9, and there was a ton of law enforcement present. But have you been curious as to how much that security costs, and where that money came from?
“I have a duty to protect the people. I have a duty to make sure these things are safe. And that is something I take very seriously. And it’s also something that I recognize costs money,” says Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer.
I spoke to Sheriff Springer about the money his office spent during the Trump rally. In a press release sent out Friday morning, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office reported spending $23,170 on the Trump rally. So I asked Sheriff Springer where that money came from. He told me it was supplied from overtime budgets.
“We have a good indication of what it is that we need in our overtime budget. Whether it’s fairs, rodeos, homicides, searches, fires—all those things occur every year. And you can’t really predict which ones you’re going to have that year or not going to have,” says Springer.
So, who requests taking $23,000 out of the Sheriff's Office’s budget?
“These requests come from the Secret Service. These are law enforcement agencies requesting law enforcement services at the local level,” says Springer.
Not the Trump campaign.
The City of Bozeman reported spending $17,094 for the Bozeman Police Department, and $2,862 for Bozeman Fire. The Montana State University Police Department reported spending $12,783, and the Belgrade Police Department, $6,569.
There were several other law enforcement agencies present at the rally whose costs have yet to be reported.
And this isn’t the Sheriff’s Office's first rodeo with presidents coming to town. Former President Donald Trump last visited Bozeman back in 2018. But Springer tells me, the costs this year were a bit more pricey.
“It didn't help that there was an assassination attempt two weeks ago prior to the rally. And the Secret Service demands were a little higher this time,” says Springer.
But regardless of the amount spent, Sheriff Springer says each penny was worth it because a safe rally was the result.
“Overall, the crowd was great, the protestors were very gracious. They were not getting in the way, they were exercising their rights as well, and everyone did it in a peaceful manner. It went very well,” says Springer.
Sheriff Springer tells me spontaneous events such as this rally are great learning opportunities for the Sheriff's Office and helps them better prepare for other spontaneous events such as homicides, fires, and searches.
