CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - It's the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and city and federal leaders held a public safety briefing this morning to go over the security planned to keep people safe during the DNC.
As the city welcomes delegates and visitors to Chicago on the first day of the DNC, Mayor Brandon Johnson told reporters at the briefing that every single city agency and department came together to respond to this moment.
“The city of Chicago is really good at things like this,” Johnson said. “There's a reason why we have hosted more national and political conventions than anywhere else in America.”
Joining the mayor was Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling. The city’s top cop said officers are ready to respond.
“We prefer not to have clashes,” Snelling said. “We would prefer not to have to make arrests if we don’t have to, and we will avoid those things as long as we’re not committing acts of vandalism or violence.”
He said the city is prepared for large protests throughout the week. He added that there are multiple law enforcement agencies here to help local law enforcement.
“I swore in a large number of mutual aid officers who came in from all around the state and Milwaukee,” said Snelling. “We also have the State Police here. We have the Cook County police who are helping out with that. The Capitol Police are here. We have agencies from across the country here.”
City emergency officers will be holding briefings every day of the convention.
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok