With tens of thousands of people, including delegates, politicians and protesters, expected to attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week, both federal and local law enforcement have promised a safe event.
“We’re keeping everything we can on this location,” Chicago Police Commissioner Larry Snelling told reporters this week. “And we’re working with our federal partners to make sure there aren’t any major incidents in this area.”
Snelling was referring to areas within the secured outdoor areas of the United Center and McCormick Place, where DNC events are taking place Monday through Thursday this week.
Full Interview: Chicago’s Top Cop Supt. Snelling Discusses DNC Security Strategies
This weekend, street closures began in the areas surrounding the United Center and McCormick Place as law enforcement agencies – including the U.S. Secret Service, Chicago police and other state and local agencies – began enforcing safety zones that restrict both vehicle and pedestrian traffic in certain areas near both venues.
A non-scientific review of the city’s Police Observation Device (POD) cameras by NBC 5 Investigates found that the vast majority of city-operated surveillance cameras appeared to be in operation around both the United Center and McCormick Place.
As part of our reporting, we filed Freedom of Information Act requests and collected video footage from more than 20 POD cameras at both locations last month.
When the video was recorded, we found that the vast majority of all cameras appeared to be working. However, the video quality from two cameras appeared to be very poor – possibly missing some activity.
Other cameras that pan or tilt remained fixed in the same direction for hours. The City of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications declined our request for an interview submitted weeks ago, along with a request to tour the operations center to better understand how the cameras will be used during the DNC.
Despite a request for records made over a month ago – and a further request to another city agency on July 30 – the City of Chicago refuses to release records showing how many cameras across the city are still broken or under repair.
When NBC 5 Investigates asked about the status of the POD cameras during a press conference on Tuesday, CPD Superintendent Snelling said, “What I can tell you is that (public safety) is working on repairing and installing the cameras if necessary. So those installations have been going on for quite some time and will continue to be done.”
When asked if there were still problem areas or areas that were being repaired, he said:
“This applies to the entire city and the places you specifically mention. We have security measures in place there to ensure that a major incident like this does not occur.”
The incident he was referring to was the assassination attempt last month against former President Donald Trump. The apparent security failure sparked public criticism, congressional hearings and, ultimately, the resignation of the Director of the Secret Service as questions arose about the lack of communication between the Secret Service and local authorities in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the shooting had taken place.
When asked what lessons were learned on Tuesday and whether the public could trust the plan for the DNC, Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Derek Mayer said the two events could not be compared, adding:
“In law enforcement, if you’re not learning and trying to be innovative and creative, you’re not doing your job right. All of us in law enforcement are trying to get better every day. If you compare Butler to a (National Special Security Event), you can’t compare,” Mayer said. “This is a whole-of-government approach, we planned this congress… So you can’t compare the two.”
The US Secret Service says it has spent over a year developing security plans for the 2024 DNC.
In a statement to NBC 5 Investigates released on Sunday, the Secret Service said it had taken a “layered approach” to security measures, including aerial surveillance, physical barriers and a heavy police presence.
“The U.S. Secret Service is supplementing the existing security infrastructure with additional measures to ensure a secure Congress,” the statement continued.
NBC 5 Investigates also spoke with Debra Kirby, a former high-ranking Chicago Police Department official who was involved in the 2012 NATO summit, which saw large protest demonstrations.
Kirby now works as a private sector security consultant for Jensen Hughes and said when it comes to cameras, the city of Chicago has the ability to leverage thousands of additional cameras from private companies to expand its surveillance radius.
“It helps to present the overall situation and at least determine whether or not additional resources are needed to supplement it,” she said.
Freddy Martinez of the Lucy Parsons Lab has been studying Chicago police surveillance practices for years and says he remains somewhat concerned about the constitutional rights of Chicagoans and protesters alike.
“What is keeping us awake at night is the question of where these decisions are made, how they are made and who is affected by them,” he said.
Draft estimates from earlier this year estimated that Chicago could spend more than $75 million in federal funds to ensure public safety during the DNC.
NBC 5 Investigates has asked for a more detailed breakdown of these expenses.
We are still waiting for an answer.
