DENVER -- Denver police told the city council's safety committee Wednesday that they feel confident they have the staff, the plan and the training to make the Democratic Convention a "very safe event."

Capt. Steve Carter said the department will be getting help from nearly every law enforcement agency in the six-county metro area.

He said Denver is copying what Phoenix did when it hosted the last Super Bowl.

"What we elected to do and got approval from the Department of Justice is to set a flat rate salary for all officers who are going to be assisting, based on their rank," Carter said.

"We chose the average 15-year salary for a Denver police officer in different ranks; officer, detective, corporal, all the way up to captain," he added.

The officers from surrounding jurisdictions will be paid with federal funds.

"This has all been submitted to the federal government as a part of the application for the grant," said Mel Thompson, Deputy Manager of Public Safety.

"I think we are doing our best to prepare, when we really don't know what to prepare for," said Denver City Councilman Doug Linkhart.

Linkhart told 7NEWS that city leaders still don't know how many protesters will be coming to Denver, or what they'll bring. He said there are other concerns.

"This is a huge target for terrorists. We'll have more elected officials than anywhere else you can imagine."

Police said that with large crowds, there are bound to be complaints about the use of force. That raises questions about who is in charge, and how complaints will be handled.

"Ultimately all officers will take orders from Denver command personnel," Carter said.

"The internal affairs component of that plan (for complaints) is still being worked on,” Carter added.

He said DPD wants to make sure there is a consistent method of reporting and tracking complaints and a system of accountability.