After initially refusing to provide security for Hillary Clinton because of lack of paid overtime, police department relents

A rural Florida police department that initially refused to provide security for Hillary Clinton on her presidential campaign trail has now agreed to a scaled-down presence, Brian Ballou reports for the Sun Sentinel. The police department in Davie—located outside Fort Lauderdale—originally denied requests for security when the Secret Service said it would not pay for overtime for Clinton's visit today at Broward College. Davie Police Captain Dale Engle has since said there will be 10 officers at the event. The Broward County Sheriff's Department and Florida Atlantic University campus police will also be in attendance for the event, which is expected to draw 1,000 people. (Best Places map)

"According to an official who attended an interagency meeting on Monday but was not authorized to discuss the private session, there was 'very spirited debate' over the planning of (today's) event," Ballou writes. "The Secret Service wanted to add Bailey Hall or an outdoor tent to accommodate the expected large crowds. But Assistant Police Chief Keith Dunn argued that adding sites would stretch the department's ability to provide adequate security and would hit their overtime budget hard." According to the official, Dunn said, "If you aren't paying us, we aren't going to be there."

Last month the Davie Police Department spent $5,800 for a visit from Vice President Joseph Biden, Ballou writes. Engle denied claims that the initial move to not provide security for Clinton was political in nature. (Read more)