Notre Dame to help pay police bill for Obama

SOUTH BEND – The University of Notre Dame has agreed to pay some of the costs local police departments will face for helping provide security during next weekend’s visit by President Barack Obama.

The school will pay the South Bend and St. Joseph County departments for services beyond what is typically required by the Secret Service, Notre Dame spokesman Dennis Brown said.

Anti-abortion activists are planning protests on and around the campus when Obama visits May 17 to speak at the commencement ceremony.

They have said the Roman Catholic school should not be honoring the president because of his support of abortion rights and embryonic stem-cell research.

South Bend police Capt. Phil Trent said the department will be reimbursed for working on campus but that the exact costs associated with Obama’s visit are not yet known.
Some police work, such as handling off-campus protests, would not be reimbursed.

Trent said the costs surrounding Obama’s visit are expected to be high and the department will be prepared to deal with big crowds of protesters as the commencement goes on inside the Joyce Center.

“It’s going to be a larger than normal response,” Trent said.

The South Bend Common Council had discussed passing an ordinance to require groups to pay the police department for providing dignitary protection.

Council President Derek Dieter said the issue has been put on hold until after Obama’s visit.

The department said visits to the city by presidential candidates and other dignitaries cost $16,513 in police overtime last year.

Dieter said he hoped Notre Dame would be willing to reimburse other police costs in the future but there have been no formal talks with school officials.

“It’s fantastic,” Dieter said of the current deal. “I applaud the university for agreeing to do that.”