When the President comes to town it's a busy day for local police officers and the Commander in Chief will be back in Davenport again on Wednesday.
While for many officers, visits like this have become routine, they say each time the President or a Presidential candidate rolls into town, every experience is a little different and a stark contrast to a typical day at the station.
"From all over the department people are drawn in to be able to get that kind of staffing, so a lot of times they are doing something they have never really done before," said Major Don Schaeffer, the Assistant Police Chief for Davenport.
Schaeffer says detectives put their case work on hold for the day and even he sets aside his administrative duties to put on the uniform and work the motorcade or speech location.
"It's a different day."
Schaeffer said officers get to learn security tips from the Secret Service and test a new set of skills.
"They advise what to look for, tell us about other sites or maybe a trend or something. We instruct our people, you want to watch the crowd, watch away from the President because that's when it's the most vulnerable.That's when we want them to be the most alert," he said.
However, staying alert is sometimes the hardest part of the day, with some officers working 15 hours or more.
"It's you know, probably the thing that weighs on them the most."
Schaeffer says while making sure the President is safe does equal a long day and takes a lot of man power (more than 50 officers at least), it's a piece of history they get to be a part of and a learning experience they'll never forget.
"Once the President comes they are kind of excited. It's an honor to have the President of the United States here in Davenport. It is worth it when it all gets done."
