As tens of thousands of people, including delegates, politicians and protesters, are expected to descend on Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention, federal and local law enforcement officials have vowed to keep the event safe.
“We have our eyes and ears open to anything that happens in that area,” Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters this week. “And we’re working with our federal partners to make sure that no major incidents occur in that area.”
Snelling was referring to areas inside the secure perimeters of the United Center and McCormick Place, where DNC events will take place this week, starting Monday and continuing through Thursday.
Full Interview: Chicago Police Chief Superintendent Snelling Discusses DNC Security Strategies
Street closures began this weekend in areas surrounding the United Center and McCormick Place as law enforcement — including the U.S. Secret Service, Chicago police and other state and local agencies — began enforcing security perimeters — which restrict both vehicles and pedestrians in certain areas near the two venues.
An unscientific investigation by NBC 5 Investigates into the city’s police observation device — or POD cameras — found that the vast majority of surveillance cameras operated by the city appeared to operate around both the United Center and McCormick Place.
As part of our reporting, we submitted Freedom of Information Act requests and collected video from more than 20 POD cameras around the two sites last month.
At the time the video was recorded, we found that the vast majority of cameras appeared to be working; however, two cameras appeared to have very poor video quality, potentially missing some activity.
Other cameras, which have the ability to pan or tilt, remained fixed in the same direction for hours. The city of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications declined our interview request submitted a few weeks ago, as well as a request to tour the operations center to better understand how the cameras will be used during the DNC.
Despite records requests filed more than a month ago — and a new request to another city agency on July 30 — the City of Chicago has also refused to provide records detailing how many cameras citywide remain broken or under repair.
When NBC 5 Investigates asked reporters about the status of the POD cameras during Tuesday’s press conference, CPD Superintendent Snelling said, “What I can tell you is that (Public Safety) is working on repairs and camera installations if necessary, so those installations have been underway for some time and they continue to do so.”
And when asked if there were still areas of concern or areas that were being repaired, he said:
“Well, it’s citywide and the locations you’re talking about specifically. We have security measures in place around those locations to ensure that a major incident like that doesn’t happen.”
The incident he was referring to was last month’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. That apparent security lapse sparked public criticism, congressional hearings and the resignation of the Secret Service director, amid questions about a lack of communication between the Secret Service and local authorities in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the shooting occurred.
Asked about lessons learned Tuesday and whether the public could trust the plan put in place for the DNC, Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Derek Mayer said there was no way to compare the two events, adding:
“If you’re not learning and trying to be innovative and creative in law enforcement, you’re not doing your job. All of us in law enforcement are trying to get better every day. Because you can’t compare Butler to a (National Special Security Event),” Mayer said. “This is a whole-of-government approach, we planned this convention… So you can’t compare the two.”
The U.S. Secret Service says it has spent more than a year developing security plans for the 2024 DNC.
In a statement released Sunday to NBC 5 Investigates, the Secret Service said it has taken a “layered approach” to security measures, including aerial observation, physical barriers and a significant law enforcement presence.
“The U.S. Secret Service is supplementing the existing security infrastructure with additional measures to ensure a secure convention,” the statement added.
NBC 5 Investigates also spoke with Debra Kirby, a former high-ranking member of the Chicago Police Department who attended the 2012 NATO summit, which saw large protests by demonstrators.
Kirby now works as a private sector security consultant for Jensen Hughes and said that when it comes to cameras, the city of Chicago has the capacity to operate thousands more cameras from private companies, expanding its observation footprint.
“This helps to provide an idea of the overall situation and at least to know whether or not additional resources are needed to supplement,” she said.
Freddy Martinez of the Lucy Parsons Lab has studied surveillance involving Chicago police for years and says he remains somewhat concerned about the constitutional rights of Chicagoans and protesters.
“What keeps us awake at night is where these decisions are being made, how they are being made and who is being impacted,” he said.
Preliminary estimates earlier this year predicted that Chicago could spend more than $75 million in federal funds to ensure public safety during the DNC.
NBC 5 Investigates requested a clearer breakdown of these expenses.
We are still waiting for a response.
