By of the

Madison — Law enforcement agencies ran up more than $3.27 million in pay, overtime, mileage, food and hotels while providing security during weeks of protests at the state Capitol, according to preliminary numbers compiled by the Journal Sentinel.

The total bill is certain to go higher, largely because some municipal police departments and county sheriff's departments have not completed totaling their bills, some invoices are incomplete and costs for some larger law enforcement agencies, including the State Patrol, were not immediately available.

More than 150 law enforcement agencies in the state, representing towns, villages, cities and university police departments, as well as officers for the Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation, the Department of Natural Resources and the Capitol police, submitted invoices on the cost to provide security in and around the Capitol.

Administration Secretary Michael Huebsch said in a statement that Capitol police and his agency made staffing level decisions based on "ensuring the safety and security of the people who were at the Capitol."

Huebsch said it was clear the Capitol police could not handle the crowds alone, so the decision was made to seek additional help from other law enforcement agencies.

"Bringing in other officers to assist comes with a cost," Huebsch said. "We have agreements with the local municipalities to pay their expenses for assisting in this effort and have begun to receive those invoices. We are auditing their submissions and will be paying for the appropriate wages and travel expenses."

Some of the invoices are low: Hustisford put in for just $352.16. But other law enforcement agencies submitted much larger bills. They included Kenosha County ($91,356.50); Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department ($124,753.20); and the Rock County Sheriff's Department ($91,462.84).

In many cases, the time periods studied don't include the security costs when the Senate and Assembly voted on the collective-bargaining bill. Hundreds of officers were on duty at the time, representing dozens of agencies.

Here's a breakdown of costs so far, as provided by the Department of Administration and other agencies.

• Local law enforcement agencies around the state: estimated $2.2 million.

• State Capitol police, through two pay periods: $631,129.

• Department of Justice: $313,542.

• Milwaukee Police Department: $126,000.