CHICAGO– Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling praises extensive training of officers as a crucial part of the city’s preparations for the Democratic National Convention next week.
About 50,000 people are expected in Chicago for the convention, including thousands of anti-war activists who plan to demonstrate at the United Center, where Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept the party’s nomination.
Snelling maintained that the Chicago police – working with federal law enforcement agencies – is prepared to deal with large crowds and any safety issues.
“There is a possibility that things could take a different turn. Something could happen that we don’t expect,” Snelling told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “We know that our officers can respond in a professional manner with training behind them. They will be more effective in making decisions. And then the response will be bigger and better.”
Officers in the country’s second-largest police force have spent the past year undergoing constitutional policing and de-escalation training. A smaller group of officers have received specialized instruction on how to respond to civil unrest and riots. Dozens external agencies Those helping secure the convention venues also receive about 16 hours of training on Chicago policy, Snelling said.
Chicago leaders traveled to Milwaukee last month for the Republican National Convention to observe and learn things that can be applied to security at the Democratic convention.
In contrast, Milwaukee officers received no additional training specific to the convention, Police Chief Jeffrey Normanand the city police did not have a strong presence during the largest demonstration on the opening day of the congress.
Nevertheless, security at the Republican convention grounds is was very tight, coming days after the attempted murder from former President Donald Trump.
However, Milwaukee’s use of outside law enforcement agencies came under intense scrutiny after Ohio police shot dead man armed with knife in a park not far from the convention. Police also arrested a man carrying a backpack containing an AK-47-style pistol outside the convention perimeter.
Snelling wouldn’t give specific examples of changes the department would make because of Milwaukee, but he did say that people trying to bring weapons onto the site was one of the topics covered during officers’ training.
“Obviously, things have happened in Milwaukee that could happen here, but our officers are prepared to deal with those situations,” Snelling said. “Those are the things we look for. Because if we don’t, things can go wrong here.”
