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drnc_convention_-_overarching_theme_1.docxThe Democratic-Republican National Convention – Miami, Florida
Conceptual Basis
Planning and executing all the necessary aspects of a hypothetical scenario based on the Democratic-Republican National Committee (DRNC) Convention in Miami, Florida will form the basis for an overarching theme that is intended to run through most, if not all of the courses in the Criminal Justice program. The premise behind establishing an overarching theme for the courses is that it will provide the students with a sense of cohesion, continuity, and interconnectedness whereby all the moving parts of criminal justice come together under a single umbrella. This overarching perspective of the criminal justice field is integral for the graduate level student practitioner to attain a complete understanding of this multi-disciplined field.
The rationale for choosing the DRNC Convention as the overarching theme for courses of the Criminal Justice program is that these large-scale special events provide an ideal setting whereby most, if not all the issues related to the criminal justice field can be played out. These large-scale special events are complex and involve virtually all the stakeholders and their issues associated with criminal justice. Planning and executing the DRNC Convention will provide a setting which will provide a realistic context that exposes the students to a full range of criminal justice issues. In other words, “criminal justice A to Z.”
Figure 1 illustrates the criminal justice themes encompassed by the core theme of the DNRC Convention. Each of these themes correspond to one or more of the Graduate Criminal Justice Program courses. Note that the public policy theme (CRJ-560) is at the middle core of the schema.
Background
Miami-Dade has the necessary infrastructure in place (including hotel rooms, international airport and seaport facilities, arenas with large seating capacities), and a proven expertise in the planning and execution of large-scale special events that the DRNC was looking for. Moreover, the area’s warm climate makes it a preferred location for conventioneers from many different organizations.
Getting the DRNC Convention is considered a major coop for local officials because of the anticipated positive impact that it will have on the area economy. Past political conventions such as this one are estimated to have brought anywhere from $150 - $160 million to the local economies of the host city. In comparison, the 2007 Super Bowl is estimated to have brought over $463 million to the regional economy of the tri-county area comprised of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
Despite the economic benefits there is a downside associated with these large-scale special events. For example, the cost for security planning and preparations for the FTAA Conference in Miami in 2003, was estimated around $23.9 million. The 2000 World Trade Organization (WTO) Conference in Seattle, Washington is estimated to have cost the city $9.3 million in direct security costs. Other affected jurisdictions (including King County and Washington State Patrol) report an additional $6 million in security costs for that event. This figure does not account for “indirect” costs associated with damage claims against the City of Seattle estimated to be as much as $150 million (Seattle PD, 2004).
As with other large-scale special events of this magnitude, media coverage is expected to be intensive. Over 15,000 media personnel from all over the world are expected to cover the weeklong event. The media coverage devoted to this particular event puts Miami-Dade public eye and as with all other similar political conventions, it is likely to attract a large number of special interest protest groups. And of course, as with all highly publicized large gatherings of people, the terrorist threat must also be accounted for.
The DRNC Convention in Miami-Dade will commence on Monday, August 29, and runs throughout the week until Saturday, September 3. Planning for this special event starts a year ahead of time and involves multiple stakeholder agencies and organizations. The Miami-Dade Host Committee and the DRNC’s Committee on Arrangements (COA) form the top policy-level planning groups. Miami-Dade Police has been designated as the lead operational planner for the event security. The U.S. Secret Service has been designated as the lead coordinating agency with overarching statutory authority for the planning and execution of the event. Stakeholder maps and organizational charts are included in this package.
