Chicago police chief highlights officer training as critical to Democratic convention security

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling is touting extensive officer training as a critical part of the city’s preparations for the Democratic National Convention next week.

Roughly 50,000 people are expected in Chicago for the convention, including thousands of anti-war activists who plan to demonstrate near the United Center where Vice President Kamala Harris will officially accept the party’s nomination.

Snelling maintained that the Chicago Police Department — working alongside federal law enforcement agencies — is prepared to deal with large crowds and any security concerns.

“There’s a possibility that things could take a 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’ll be more effective in decision making. And then the response becomes greater and better.”

Officers in the nation’s second-largest police force have undergone constitutional policing and de-escalation training over the past year. A smaller group of officers has received specialized instruction on responding to civil unrest and riots. Dozens of outside agencies who will help help secure the convention sites will also receive about 16 hours of training on Chicago policies, Snelling said.

Chicago leaders traveled to Milwaukee for last month’s Republican National Convention to observe and learn things to apply to security at the Democratic convention.

In contrast, Milwaukee officers received no additional training specific to the convention, according to Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, and city police did not maintain a big presence during the largest demonstration on the convention's opening day.

Nonetheless, security at the Republican convention site was very tight, coming days after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

The use of outside law enforcement agencies in Milwaukee came under fierce scrutiny, however, after Ohio police fatally shot a man armed with a knife at a park not far from the convention. Also, police arrested a man carrying a backpack that contained an AK-47-style pistol outside the convention perimeter.

Snelling declined to discuss specific examples of changes the department would make because of Milwaukee, but he said people trying to bring weapons to the site was among the issues addressed in the officers' training.

“Obviously there were things that occurred in Milwaukee that could still occur here, but our officers are prepared to deal with those situations,” Snelling said. “Those are the things that we’re paying attention to. Because if we’re not, this is where things could go wrong.”