Titan attended an inter-agency briefing to discuss planning and coordination for potential outcomes of the Jason Van Dyke trial and wanted to pass along the following information:
Trial Logistics
- The trial is moving more quickly than anticipated, closing remarks could be completed in about 2.5 weeks (mid-October)
- Jury deliberations could last anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks
- When the jury reaches a verdict, the public will likely have a 2-hour notice before the verdict is announced in court
Communications
- The OEMC and CPD are continuing to conduct safety message street canvasing with businesses on Michigan Avenue, State Street and surrounding areas
- The OEMC may use the IPAWS system as needed to send SMS messages to targeted areas, send Notify Chicago email broadcasts, and they will establish an inter-agency Joint Communications Center as required by events
Protest
- To date, lightly attended and peaceful protests have occurred outside the courthouse at 26th and California in a designated protest area
- When the verdict is announced, planned and unplanned protests could occur anywhere in the City, including the Central Business District
- CPIC will monitor public channels for potential protest activity, particularly those promoting violence
- While most protesters simply want their message heard in a peaceful manner, the protests could be infiltrated by instigators who want to ignite a confrontation, then leave, while others who may have come peacefully get caught up in the violence
- CPD will work with protesters as they have in recent events with the objective of avoiding confrontation that might escalate
Private Sector
- Click here to see the Security Preparedness Bulletin prepared by the CIPC, for reminders on securing your facilities and responding to incidents
- The CPD requests that private sector companies discuss the timing of the trial with their private security firms to ensure they have appropriate staffing and assess the risk of large public gatherings near your facilities
- In areas where large protests develop, CPD may request access to places of business to temporarily store equipment, gain access to rooftops, or provide officers with brief rest breaks
- OEMC reminds private sector firms to ensure their street-facing cameras are in good working order and recording is enabled
- The Public Sector agencies want to hear from you if you see, hear or note anything suspicious regarding these events
- For example, Antifa protesters in other cities have been known to hide materials like, bricks, lead pipes and Molotov cocktails at protest sites in advance so that they can be retrieved quickly during the event
- Please be prepared to share information with your constituents in real-time on days when the likely hood for protest activity is high and report information to the Private Sector EOC liaison though your Association
Resources
Demonstration Building Security Preparedness Checklist – Click Here
BOMA/Chicago Best Practices Guide for Civil Unrest/Disturbances/Protests – Click Here
Building Security Best Practices for Protests – Click Here
As always, if you “See Something, Say Something”. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911. To report suspicious activity, call 855-RPRT-2-S4 (855-777-8274).