Police response to Raleigh protests has cost at least $2.2M

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Law enforcement agencies have spent at least $2.2 million responding to protests that occurred in Raleigh, North Carolina, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

WRAL reported Wednesday that it obtained cost figures from agencies that include the Raleigh Police Department, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office and the State Highway Patrol. The figure does not include costs after the first week of June.

George Floyd, a Black man, died while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. People came together across the country to protest racism and police brutality.

Some people turned to riots and looting in the Raleigh area on May 30 and 31. Protesters also pulled down pieces of a Confederate monument near the North Carolina Capitol.

Raleigh police said officers worked nearly 2,350 hours of overtime at a cost of $860,011.

The Wake County Sheriff’s Office accrued nearly $400,000 in costs. The State Highway Patrol spent almost $150,000. Activating North Carolina National Guard members cost about $725,000.

The State Capitol Police spent a little more than $48,000 and Alcohol Law Enforcement officers spent at least $27,000 in pay.