Real test for CPD still ahead after Democratic National Convention protests, police watchdog says
The ACLU would like to see Chicago police act every day as they did during the DNC.
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police were given a lot of credit for how they handled the protests during the Democratic National Convention and kept the city safe.
But a police watchdog group is saying the real test for police is still ahead.
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During the DNC protests, Chicago police said, officers made 74 arrests and noted there were only eight or nine complaints about police conduct.
On Friday, CPD Supt. Larry Snelling praised his officers for their restraint.
"So as a result of it, you didn't see the activity that people expected to see," Snelling said.
One of the leaders of the March on the DNC on Tuesday said that police should not be taking a victory lap.
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"A lot of people from the from the different organizations, different contingents, the protesters themselves said they felt extremely intimidated by those cops being right on top of the protesters the way they were," said Coalition to March on the DNC Spokesperson Hatem Abudayyeh.
Abudayyeh pointed to the police bicycle lines and the riot gear in particular.
The American Civil Liberties Union noted that police should be credited for showing a lot of de-escalation and restraint when all the supervisors and cameras were around.
"How does that work the next time there's a traffic stop? How does that work the next time there's a foot pursuit or a stop and frisk, or there's an interaction in the community?" said ACLU of Illinois Communications Director Ed Yohnka.
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Demonstrators were also frustrated by how police and the city sought for months to restrict where and how they could march and rally.
The ACLU, which is part of the consent decree coalition, would like to see Chicago police act every day as they did during the DNC.
"There shouldn't be a difference because the whole world's watching. It ought to look the same on the South, or the West, or the North Side, or downtown, simply because that's the way policing should work," Yohnka said.
While the police response during the convention may have helped erase the ghosts of 1968, the department's long-term reputation in the neighborhoods may depend on how well the DNC lessons become part of CPD's DNA.
