Snelling: Chicago officers better trained, prepared since George Floyd demonstrations

CHICAGO — The Democratic National Convention in Chicago will likely be the biggest test for the city’s police department since the summer of 2020 when demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death lead to rioting, looting and vandalism in some cases.

Supt. Larry Snelling readily admits his department was not prepared for dealing with that chaos, as training had faltered over the years. That’s not the case now, with officers for the last year preparing and training for the convention and the protests it’ll bring. He said officers will respect the constitutional rights of free speech and assembly but will be quick to act and make arrests if warranted.

“There are things that we are going to respond to quicker than others, where we’ll give people a reasonable amount of time to disperse. However, violence, vandalism — those are things that we’re going to take action on quickly,” Snelling said during a Thursday interview. “We believe that once the violence starts, if we allow that to continue, it just continues to get worse.”

With the DNC coming just five weeks after the assassination attempt on former President Trump, Snelling said the coordination among local, state and federal law enforcement is more important now than ever. He said he knows the world will be watching what happens in the Windy City and promised there will be no repeat of the chaos that surrounded the 1968 convention in Chicago.

Snelling said stressing about what may happen is not productive. “Nothing keeps me up at night because I just believe that, you know, worrying is wasted energy,” he said. “We have to prepare.”

With an all-hands-on-deck approach, Snelling said helping his officers achieve their best and making sure they’re taken care of are among his top priorities. That includes making sure they’re eating, staying hydrated and getting enough rest.

“Cognitively, we know not being rested, being malnourished or dehydrated can affect a response in a human being,” he said.

All off time has been canceled for his officers during the convention. He said officers will remain focused on other parts of the city and that resources will not be sacrificed elsewhere for the DNC.

Democrats will host their nominating convention in Chicago August 19-22. Chicago has hosted Democrats 12 times, the last being nearly 30 years ago when President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second term.

• Security Zones & Protest Plans: What we know
• Chicago2024.com | Chicago’s DNC Website
• DemConvention.com | Democratic Convention Official Website

More from WGN’s sit-down interview with Chicago’s top cop in the video player below:

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