CHICAGO (CBS) – The Democratic National Convention is coming to Chicago in just over 80 days, and the big question many are asking is whether police will be prepared for the expected protests.
The city’s inspector general documented in a new report improvements made to the Chicago Police Department’s response to mass gatherings and large-scale events. She has documented how the department conducted exercises and tested its plans, and drafted comprehensive revisions to its use-of-force policy.
Deborah Witzburg, the city of Chicago’s inspector general, said that since the unrest that enveloped the city in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020, the city has put in place a number of interagency plans that could lead to a more organized response. when it comes to mass gatherings. Witzburg also said police officers have more equipment.
“One of the things that went wrong in 2020 is that many CPD members were deployed in that response without body-worn cameras,” Witzburg said. “That’s an evidence-gathering problem. That’s an accountability problem. As a result, all kinds of things have gone wrong. The CPD now reports that they have more body-worn cameras. They are better equipped to handle those at a response. That is a very important improvement.”
The department has also made changes to officers’ responsibilities during mass arrests.
“When it comes to the processing of mass arrests, the policy is clearer than before about the circumstances under which a mass arrest can be declared,” Witzburg said. “They are clearer about who can make that statement and what happens when that statement is made.”
Still, the watchdog found that the department’s crowd control management training included outdated tactics and failed to explain constitutional protections, potentially endangering protesters’ rights.
Witzburg said another area of concern is the department’s draft policy that has yet to be finalized, even though the department has started training in those areas. She said if these concepts change, there could be confusion among members who trained under the draft policy.
She said the department posted the draft guidelines for public comment as part of the community engagement process.
“And I think there is a real risk if this policy was posted for public comment when the CPD had already begun training their members on this,” Witzburg said. “That risks the appearance that the community engagement and public comment process is a box-ticking exercise, rather than a genuine effort to integrate community feedback into policy.”
In response to the report, the Chicago Police Department said, “The community feedback included not only posting the draft policy online for public comment, but also discussions with the coalition of community groups represented in the consent decree.”
The department added that there was a comprehensive review of a number of policies related to the 2020 civil unrest and discussion with a coalition of community groups. The criticism helped inform and guide existing policies and procedures.
Will the Chicago Police Department be ready for the upcoming Democratic National Convention in August? CBS 2 asked Witzburg directly.
“I hope so,” she said. “I think there is reason to be hopeful and encouraged by the progress we have made since 2020. Chicago cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of 2020.”
Suzanne Le Mignot
