CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — In the days after the deadly attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life, new questions have been sparked about convention security in Milwaukee, as well as in Chicago, where President Joe Biden and Democrats from all over the country are set to meet next month for their nominating convention.
Police commanders in Chicago offered some answers on Monday.
Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling praised the department’s coordination and communication with the Secret Service and said authorities have been working all along on plans to respond to a wide range of incidents, including a potential shooting at a political rally.
The superintendent said the police force is staffing up for the week of the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
“We have additional officers coming in — up to 500 officers — so we do have officers who are coming in to help out,” Snelling said. “That’s going to free up some of our officers who have the field force training to be out in the fields.”
He added that protesters will be able to exercise their First Amendment rights but will not be permitted to break the law.
One key for Chicago police will be to coordinate with residents and local businesses during the convention.
“You’re really going to have a hard time telling people that they can’t access parts of their home, but we do have communication,” he said. “As we go throughout this, we’ll continue to communicate more and more to the residents around the location to the businesses.”
Meanwhile, former Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, who was in charge when Chicago hosted the 2012 NATO summit, said he’s “cautiously optimistic” about how this administration will handle the DNC.
“But, you know, just like what happened Saturday, you almost can’t make it up,” he said. “Just when you think you’ve seen everything, something else happens.”
He said the plan for handling the NATO summit was reviewed afterward in order to see what worked and what didn’t.
“Those bike officers were unbelievably useful during the NATO summit, and I suspect it should be the same thing during the DNC,” he said.
The bikes offered two big advantages to officers, McCarthy said.
“First of all, transportation,” he said. “To get in front of crowds and turn them if we wanted to try and keep them away from some sort of hotspot. The second thing is using them as barriers to keep them in line.”
As the Republican National Convention unfolds this week, WBBM Newsradio will have reporters providing coverage from Milwaukee. Be sure to listen live on the Audacy app for the latest.
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok
Local Chicago, IL
Most Popular
Comments / 0