Chicago Police compare notes with Milwaukee officials in preparation for DNC
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With the Republican National Convention under way in Milwaukee, the Chicago Police Department has been working with law enforcement there—comparing notes about safety and security while hosting a major political event.
Chicago will host the Democratic National Convention in a mere five weeks. Late Monday afternoon, police Supt. Larry Snelling spoke about preparations under way for more than a year to host the DNC at the United Center and McCormick Place.
The main message from the CPD was that they are prepared for anything and everything.
CBS News Chicago wanted to know the plan for making sure roofs aren't being accessed by bad actors such as snipers—so as to protect both delegates and protesters. Current CPD leadership could not say much, sol retired CPD brass were asked.
"There's got to be probably about 200 different buildings that they're going to have to watch," said former Chicago Police First Deputy Supt. Anthony Riccio.
Riccio helped formulate safety plans for the 2012 NATO Summit, and the last DNC in Chicago—also at the United Center—in 1996.
He said securing rooftops is standard procedure when it comes to large events.
"It's really a 360-degree bubble you want to put around the venue," Riccio said. "You want to watch it from the ground to the sky."
Police will also be monitoring spots near the convention venues and for political events unfold—including demonstrations. How can authorities prevent people from accessing a rooftop with a sightline of somebody important, or of a protest.
There are limits there, Riccio explained.
"Right, so you really can't. You can't tell people they can't go on their own roof," Riccio said. "But what you can do is you can put an officer there to monitor it."
Rooftop security plans are being handled by federal law enforcement, according to Snelling.
"One thing that we don't do here is second-guess what the Secret Service's plans are," Snelling said.
Snelling would not go into detail. But he did point out the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania this past Saturday happened at an open-air rally—something that is likely not a part of DNC plans.
"Although we know all of our dignitaries will be indoors, we still have to protect everything that's on the outside," Snelling said, "and we've been training for that. We've been preparing and planning around it, and we're going to continue to do that."
The director of the U.S. Secret Service said security plans for the RNC in Milwaukee were "reviewed" and "strengthened" after the shooting at former President Trump's rally this past weekend.
A spokesman for the Secret Service said DNC plans remained under development as of Tuesday. He did not answer a specific question about access to rooftops close to McCormick Place and the United Center.
