(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Evanston’s mayor says a photo of a police officer carrying a semi-automatic rifle at a demonstration outside the police station “raises a lot of questions,” and the department has offered an explanation about what happened.
The demonstration was a “Reclaim the Block Party” outside the Evanston Police Department on Sunday.
Someone posted a photo on Facebook of an officer carrying what appears to be a semi-automatic rifle at his side.
Outraged comments started surfacing on the Evanston Fight for Black Lives page.
Evanston’s new mayor, Daniel Biss, tells WBBM Newsradio he has seen the photo.
“Obviously that picture raises a lot of questions, and I’m looking into it and trying to get to the bottom of the situation,” he said.
Biss, in an interview with WBBM Newsradio that aired over the weekend, outlined his ambitious plans to re-imagine public safety in Evanston. He has organized a task force that is expected to issue recommendations.
Related
In a statement Monday posted on Facebook, Evanston Police did not dispute the accuracy of the photo that drew criticism. The department said the officer was transporting the weapon as a normal procedure.
“We would like to provide insight to the situation as pictures do not always capture the full perspective,” the statement said, in part. “The photo shows an officer walking with a rifle down by his side. This photo was taken at the police station, during shift change when officers routinely transport equipment from the station to their squad cars to be secured. The officer was doing just that. This action is not uncommon and was completely independent of any other events that may have been taking place at the time.”
But some observers have raised the question: Is it normal for officers to carry weapons like that in public every time there’s a shift change?