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More financial help for Wyoming Valley school districts coming from local health trust

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Jury convicts Hazleton man of crashing into home, fleeing scene

<p>Luzerne County sheriff deputies were legally required to provide requested security at last month&#8217;s rally for Republican presidential contender Donald Trump in Wilkes-Barre Township, county Manager C. David Pedri told the county council last week.</p><p>Councilman Edward Brominski has been questioning the county&#8217;s decision to staff 10 deputies outside the April 25 rally at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township.</p><p>Pedri said state statutes mandate county sheriffs provide assistance when requested by law enforcement.</p><p>&#8220;So we have to respond where needed with our law enforcement,&#8221; Pedri said.</p><p>County sheriff deputies weren&#8217;t the only law enforcement agency assisting Wilkes-Barre Township police at the rally, Pedri said.</p><p>Pennsylvania state police officers provided assistance in addition to police from Hanover Township, Wilkes-Barre and Ashley, he said.</p><p>&#8220;The reason for this is because we wanted to make sure there was not a potential violent event,&#8221; Pedri said.</p><p>He said there were 60 arrests and 30 arrests at two Trump rallies in other areas, and a Trump rally in Chicago was canceled due to a concern about potential rioting.</p><p>&#8220;This is the exact thing the sheriff&#8217;s department has to do per the statute,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Even if we weren&#8217;t mandated by law to do so, it&#8217;s the right thing for our sheriff&#8217;s department to be there.&#8221;</p><p>The county would be responsible if a deputy had been injured, Pedri said in response to one of Brominski&#8217;s inquiries.</p><p>Five of the 10 deputies were mandated to work overtime to cover the event, and they were selected by reverse seniority on a rotating basis as required by their union agreement, Pedri said.</p><p>Brominski also had asked the last time sheriff deputies provided assistance at public events.</p><p>Pedri said the deputies have assisted police with numerous gang roundups, saturation patrols, DUI stops and other patrol sweeps.</p><p>Brominski told Pedri he has no problem with the saturation patrols and other law enforcement activities but disagrees with the rally assignment because it was a &#8220;private public event.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It was no different, in my opinion, than the circus, and that&#8217;s what it was. It turns out at the circus that came in town there was the possibility of probably violence there because of animal use, but we didn&#8217;t send anyone there,&#8221; Brominski said.</p><p>Pedri has said the county&#8217;s overtime cost for the rally was $1,647.14. A bill was forwarded to the township police department, which will submit it to the Trump campaign for reimbursement, he has said.</p><p>Brominski said he wants to see a copy of the reimbursement check and bill to verify whether all county expenses were covered, including meals and gas.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s all a cost that was placed on every citizen of Luzerne County,&#8221; Brominski said.</p><p>More than 11,000 attended the Trump rally, according to published reports.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Brominski </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_brominski-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Brominski </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Luzerne County manager says sheriff deputy security at Trump rally was required, not optional