Tent may unfurl for DNC arrests

City last used it in '05 to alleviate crowding at jail

By Kevin Vaughan, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 28, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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If the Democratic National Convention leads to large numbers of arrests, some prisoners could do their time in a tent.

But it's far from certain that will happen.

Still, Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, a senior adviser to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, acknowledged that the tent, which was last used during a rash of overcrowding at the county jail in 2005, would be an option for housing prisoners.

Denver first used the giant tent in the jail recreation yard to house roughly 70 low-security inmates.

Whether it will be used during the convention, which could draw thousands of protesters to Denver, won't be known until the four-day political gathering begins Aug. 25.

Eichenbaum Lent said that even if there are large numbers of arrests, it is likely that most of those hauled in would post bond or be released after a court hearing.

She acknowledged, however, that if convention-related arrests swell the jail population, the tent would be one of the options considered to handle the overflow.

Nobody knows how many demonstrators may come to Denver for the convention, though some have estimated that it could be in the tens of thousands.

Michael Battista, deputy chief of operations for the Denver Police Department, has repeatedly refused to disclose projections about protesters.

Last week, though, Battista told City Council members that he was skeptical that some of the protest groups could produce the number of demonstrators they were claiming.

Battista also told council members the police department is intent on preserving the First Amendment rights of demonstrators while also preparing to respond to any who are intent on breaking the law or causing disruptions.

Already, Denver has signed contracts with area police and sheriff's departments that will see hundreds of officers from other jurisdictions providing security at the convention.

The conditions at the jail and the city's plans for dealing with protesters arrested during the convention were the subject of one of several lawsuits filed earlier this year by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Staff writer Ashleigh Oldland contributed to this report.

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