Crime & Law
CPD, Secret Service Outline Safety Plans Ahead of DNC in Chicago
The Democratic National Convention is less than two weeks away.
Chicago is preparing to host the major event — and most importantly — keep everyone safe.
Local and federal law enforcement agencies have been organizing their security details since April 2023.
The Illinois State Police, Office Emergency Management & Communications (OEMC) and the Chicago Police Department have been collaborating with the Secret Service and other members of the National Special Security Event to ensure the protection of all attendees and Chicagoans.
On law enforcement partnership
“I don't think there’s a better law enforcement community than the city of Chicago. Not only are we partners, we’re friends. And the Secret Service and the Chicago Police Department have a great relationship, and it’s only been strengthened by the planning of the DNC,” said Derek Mayer, deputy special agent in charge of the United States Secret Service, Chicago Field Office.
On protest preparation
“Our expectation is that people come here to protest and protest peacefully, and we’re going to protect their rights to do that, but we're going to make sure that we're prepared. We’re prepared to deal with the possibility that any civil unrest, vandalism, or violence won’t be tolerated,” said Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling.
On pasts protests response
“We’ve had the opportunity to look at everything that happened in 2020 and across the country. And we've prepared for that. We've dealt with over 100 protests here in the city since 2023. We’ve done quite well dealing with those protests, and we’re going to continue to do that, and our officers have gone through extensive training to get the job done,” said Snelling.
On the new mass arrest policy
“It’s designed to make sure that if we have to make arrests and we take people into custody, that it’s done in a way that's wrapped around a policy that focuses on the rights of everyone. We want to make sure that if we take someone into custody, that we’re doing it the right way, that everyone is accounted for,” said Snelling.
On community outreach
“We put out 40,000 flyers. But mainly for the last year, we’ve been doing a public outreach where ourselves, CPD and other local and state entities went out and met with the public and let them know what our expectations were, asked them questions, found out what their expectations were we understand that garbage still needs to be picked up, mail still needs to be delivered, Uber Eats still needs to make deliveries, and we all know that Amazon packages still have to get to their customers,” said Mayer.
On outside police officers
“They’re going to be protecting infrastructure. We’re going to be deliberate about making sure that any outside agencies are not placed in any compromising positions. They will be getting eight to 12 hours of training the weekend prior to the start of the DNC,” said Snelling.
On demonstration expectations
“We’ve met with organizers all year long, and those conversations have been fruitful. We’ve talked to some of the organizers about self policing, and we’ve seen that from a lot of the groups. And that’s going to help us as a police department. Our interaction has to be one of partnership in one way. The people who come here to protest just want to have their voices heard,” said Snelling.
