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Town pays thousands for Glenn Beck's protection
A report from The Seattle Times says a Washington state town is facing nearly $18,000 in bills stemming from a recent visit by conservative TV pundit Glenn Beck, who was in the town for a day named in his honor.
In Mount Vernon, Washington, Glenn Beck Day, which featured a visit from the Fox News host, cost the city $17,748, with most of the expense attributed to 239 hours of police overtime.
Mount Vernon's police chief, Ken Bergsma, said the police presence was necessary because a crowd of up to 1,000 protesters had arrived before Beck received the key to the city from the town's mayor, which the police chief said was the largest protest he had seen in the city in his 32 years with the police force.
Beck is a native of Mount Vernon and the police chief says the town received about 3,000 e-mails and several phone calls ahead of the firebrand pundit's visit. Chief Bergsma said one e-mail and one phone call in particular were alarming, with indications of threats, but he did not give details.