When President Donald Trump spent two hours at a Lower Southampton McDonald’s last October, it cost taxpayers there more than $11,000 in overtime-related costs.
The same visit also cost taxpayers in eight other Bucks County towns between approximately $600 to more than $7,400 in police overtime to assist the U.S. Secret Service and local police at the event.
While the presidential campaigns made eight stops in five Bucks County towns last year, taxpayers in surrounding communities paid a collective total of nearly $145,000 in police overtime, according to financial records obtained through Right-to-Know requests.
The total includes nearly $88,000 in communities that did not host national candidates — among them Bensalem, which has the county’s largest police force. Taxpayers there spent nearly $30,000 in overtime to send 44 police officers to five appearances.
Within the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, Bucks County was among the counties where campaigns focused energy, straining local law enforcement, first responder and other local resources, officials said.
“Thank God it’s over,” Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVey said. “It’s flattering to have presidential candidates come to your county to persuade voters, but it comes at an expense.”
High-profile visitors, events can strain Bucks County resources. How mutual aid helps fill gaps
National campaign stops are high-risk events with little advance notice that require local governments to provide services to minimize disruption and keep candidates and the community safe. But this level of response can overwhelm the resources and budgets of hosting communities, officials said.
In response, Bucks County police departments have mutual aid agreements, where law enforcement agrees to provide resources outside their jurisdictions. The departments routinely loan officers and equipment to assist with parades, protests, disasters, sporting events and other large public gatherings.
Lower Southampton police, for example, sent its Major Incidents Response Team to the Five Points intersection in Bristol and Middletown townships where about 2,000 people gathered after the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl. Local departments also sent officers to assist with the Philadelphia Eagles championship parade in Philadelphia on Feb. 14.
Last September, Northampton, Newtown Township and Bristol Township each sent several officers to assist the New Britain Police Department with the appearance of Polish President Andrzej Duda at the National Shrine of Czestochowa, records showed.
While police departments may divert officers on regular duty to fill mutual aid requests, generally departments offer off-duty officers overtime.
Under the mutual aid agreements, the municipalities that request assistance are not billed for police services, rather the responding municipalities agree to cover their respective costs, according to township managers.
What Bucks County towns billed presidential campaigns for appearance-related expenses
It is not unusual for local governments to bill campaigns after events to recoup expenses associated with a visit, though typically there are no contracts spelling out what will be reimbursed.
Last year at least five cities and one county billed the Trump campaign more than $750,0000 for costs associated with local law enforcement and first responders during visits with some bills going back eight years.
The presidential campaigns for Sen. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton also reportedly also still owe Spokane Washington $33,000 and less than $3,000 respectively from 2016.
Last year at least two Bucks County municipalities invoiced presidential campaigns for local services. Only one of the five Bucks County towns that hosted appearances were reimbursed.
Lower Makefield Township billed the Harris-Walz campaign $7,995 for a private event at the Township Community Center on Sept. 22, featuring the husband of Democrat Kamala Harris, Douglas Emhoff, Township Manager David Kratzer Jr. said.
The bill broke down to $6,175 for police services and $1,820 for use of the community center and its staff, according to Kratzer. The campaigns were not billed for police services through mutual aid requests.
Newtown Township also invoiced both presidential campaigns for police services at five different appearances, including three in Newtown Township, totaling more than $42,000. But it has not received a response from either campaign as of Feb. 20, Township Manager Micah Lewis said.
Lower Southampton officials also didn’t bill campaigns for its Trump event or its mutual aid expenses, but Township Manager Joe Galdo said there will be further discussion about whether to send invoices.
The McDonald’s event alone, which drew an estimated 7,000 onlookers, cost Lower Southampton nearly $8.400 in police overtime and more than $2,600 in public works overtime for post-event cleanup.
At least 69 Bucks County police officers, including 16 from Lower Southampton, worked the event, according to records.
“Some departments don’t help at all,” Lower Southampton Chief Ted Krimmel added. “We’ve always been a big believer in that because when we need help here, we get it.”
The expenses associated with high-profile appearances can be enormous, but police officials said that the potential costs of not devoting enough resources could be devastating, citing the assassination attempt on Trump in July at a western Pennsylvania rally, Newtown Township Police Chief John Hearn said.
“Interagency cooperation is essential in maintaining public safety, not only for the visiting dignitaries, but also for the visitors, and the community,” Hearn added. “Failures of planning, staffing, and interagency cooperation can have tragic and potentially dire outcomes.”
How much did taxpayers in your town pay to provide extra security during 2024 campaign appearances
Here’s a more detailed look at what presidential campaign visits cost local taxpayers:
- Bristol Township — The township spent $2,050 in overtime for four officers who were part of the local detail assigned to the one campaign event it hosted, the Oct. 31 visit by Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate. The township also spent a little more than $1,000 in overtime to send two officers to a September apperance of JD Vance in Newtown Township.
- Falls — The township spent $4,335.76 in police overtime to send between one and three officers to assist at five campaign appearances. The costs included $420 to have two officers work 2 ½ hours at a Sept. 22 appearance by Emhoff at a private Democratic event at a local restaurant, according to Chief Nelson Whitney.
- Lower Makefield — The township spent $24,275 to send a total of 57 officers to six campaign events in other communities, including 15 officers to the Harris appearance in Upper Makefield.
- Lower Southampton — The township had 54 officers at five events, including 17 at the Nov. 4 Vance visit in Newtown Township. But 18 officers opted to take comp time, not money, according to the township. In total the township spent $28,316 on police overtime for campaign assistance last year.
- Middletown — The township did not host any presidential ticket candidates, but its residents paid $33,363.06 to send 69 officers on overtime to five appearances, according to financial records. Records show the department sent between five and 17 officers to events.
- Newtown Township — Vance and Trump made three appearances at the Newtown Athletic Club last year with overtime costs ranging from $8,384.09 to $12,248, records show. The township also sent six officers to the Harris event in Upper Makefield and 13 to the Trump McDonald’s visit. The township public works department was not involved in any pre- or post-visit cleanup for the Newtown Athletic Club events, Lewis said.
- Northampton — The township did not host any 2024 presidential ticket candidates, but taxpayers footed a little more than $19,100 in police overtime to send two to 12 officers to five presidential events and the Polish president’s visit. The township also sent officers on regular duty to the appearances. The township did not provide cost breakdowns for each event.
- Upper Makefield — The township paid $8,461.30 in employee overtime associated with the appearance of Harris in October, including $1,231.76 for five public works employees, according to Township Manager David Nyman. Four officers also received “unspecified comp time,” worth $350, instead of overtime pay, for assisting Newtown Township for 7.5 hours with the Vance visit Nov. 4 to the Newtown Athletic Club, according to financial records. Residents also covered $1,635 in overtime costs to send Upper Makefield police officers to assist Lower Southampton with the Trump visit to McDonald’s.
- Upper Southampton — The township did not host any political candidates, but it spent $6,416 in overtime to send two to seven officers who worked 79 hours total at four campaign events, according to financial records.
