>> A NEW REPORT FROM THE CITY'S INSPECTOR GENERAL FINDS CHICAGO POLICE ARE BETTER PREPARED TO HANDLE MASS PROTESTS THAN PREVIOUSLY, BUT CONCERNS REMAIN.

THE REPORT IS A FOLLOW-UP TO A 2021 REPORT THAT FOUND POLICE WERE, QUOTE, OUTFLANKED UNDER EQUIPPED AND UNPREPARED TO RESPOND TO THE PROTESTS THAT BROKE OUT IN THE WAKE OF GEORGE FLOYD'S TWENTY-TWENTY KILLING WTW NEWS ANALYSIS SHOWS POLICE MISCONDUCT DURING THOSE PROTESTS COST CITY TAXPAYERS AT LEAST 5.6 MILLION DOLLARS.

HERE TO TALK ABOUT HER NEW REPORT IS CHICAGO INSPECTOR GENERAL DENVER.

WHAT'S BERG?

WELCOME BACK.

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

THANK YOU.

CAN SO 2 PROBES FOUND CHICAGO POLICE FAILED TO PROTECT THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF THOUSANDS OF CHICAGOANS DURING THE PROTESTS AND UNREST.

THAT WAS, OF COURSE, TRIGGERED BY THE POLICE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD BACK IN 2020.

JUST THIS MORNING, WE HEARD SUPERINTENDENTS KNOWING TELL REPORTERS THAT HIS DEPARTMENT IS READY.

HAS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT LEARNED THE RIGHT LESSONS FROM THOSE FAILURES OF THE PAST?

I THINK WE'VE LEARNED A LOT OF LESSONS.

I THINK CPD HAS MADE REAL PROGRESS IN ITS PREPAREDNESS FOR MASS EVENTS.

>> THERE ARE CLEARLY IMPROVEMENTS IN PLANNING SETTING PLANS WITH OTHER CITY AGENCIES SUPPORTING ENTITIES, ETC.

THOSE PLANS HAVE BEEN TESTED IN TABLETOP EXERCISES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE SAW GO WRONG IN 2020 THAT THERE WERE AREAS OF CONFUSION AND LACK OF CLARITY AND GAPS AND CPD IS POLICIES AS THEY APPLY TO MASS ARREST PROCESSING AND TO OBLIGATIONS AROUND REPORTING THE USE OF FORCE.

CPD HAS I THINK MADE SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS TOWARD ADDRESSING THOSE GAPS AND POLICIES THEY'VE DONE.

SO, HOWEVER, IN A NEW SUITE OF POLICIES, WHICH IS NOT YET FINALIZED AS OF THE PUBLICATION OF OUR REPORT, THOSE POLICIES WERE STILL IN DRAFT FORM.

I THINK THAT RAISES A COUPLE OF CONCERNS.

ONE, I THINK THAT WE HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TRAINING CPD MEMBERS ON POLICIES WHICH ARE STILL IN DRAFT RISKS.

SOME CONFUSION.

OBVIOUSLY THOSE DRAFTS CHANGE.

I THINK ALSO FROM A PUBLIC FACING LEGITIMACY PERSPECTIVE, CPD POSTED THOSE DRAFT POLICIES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.

THAT'S A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS TO WHICH THE DEPARTMENT IS COMMITTED.

I THINK THERE'S SOME RISK THAT IF WE ARE ALREADY TRAINING MEMBERS ON POLICIES WHICH ARE STILL POSTED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WE'VE UNDERMINED SORT OF THE SINCERITY OF THAT OF THAT PROCESS.

IT I WOULD IMAGINE IT MIGHT RAISE THE QUESTION FOR SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE GIVING THE PUBLIC COMMENT WHETHER OR NOT THEIR THEIR COMMENTS AND ROPE INPUT OR ACTUALLY BEING RECEIVED AND ABSORBED.

>> YOU KNOW THAT CPD HAS PLANS FOR HANDLING MASS GATHERINGS, QUOTE, RISKS ESCALATING TENSIONS AND VIOLATING CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF LAWFUL DEMONSTRATORS.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOUR CONCERNS WERE RAISED?

SOME CONCERNS ABOUT WHETHER CPD THESE TRAININGS RELY ON OUTMODED, OUTDATED PRINCIPLES OF CROWD CONTROL.

WE LOOK AT THINGS LIKE WHAT KIND OF METHODS OF ANALYSIS OF CROWD BEHAVIOR ARE CURRENTLY IN USE AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WE ALSO LOOK AT WHETHER CPD HAS PLANS AND POLICIES ARE OUR OUR SERVE BODING WELL FOR THE DEPARTMENT RECKONING WITH THE LAWFUL PROTESTERS, CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.

IN THE REPORT.

YOU ALSO QUESTION IF THE PRACTICE OF POLICE IN CIRCLING PROTESTERS, SOMETHING KNOWN AS KETTLING AND THE USE OF PEPPER SPRAY AGAINST PEACEFUL CONCERNS ABOUT THOSE TACTICS.

WHAT WERE YOU CONCERNS THERE WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF OC SPRAY PEPPER SPRAY AGAINST PASSIVE RESISTERS IN A CROWD SETTING.

SEE POLICIES ALLOW FOR THAT USE OF OC SPRAY IN CERTAIN SETTINGS THAT IS PROBABLY OUT OF LINE WITH GUIDANCE FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE, OTHER MAJOR CITY POLICE DEPARTMENTS.

>> PHILADELPHIA IS THE ONE THAT WE LOOK AT IN THE REPORT.

GUIDANCE IS OUT OF LINE THERE WITH WITH GUIDANCE ELSEWHERE.

THAT RAISES SOME CONCERNS, I THINK FOR FOR PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF LAWFUL DEMONSTRATORS AND THEN ALSO THE USE OF KETTLING.

YOU'RE CONCERNED THERE.

THAT'S RIGHT.

THERE IS THERE IS CERTAINLY SOME CONCERN AROUND WHETHER 4TH AMENDMENT RIGHTS ARE AT RISK.

IF LAWFUL DEMONSTRATORS ARE CONTAINED ALONG WITH PEOPLE COMMITTING CRIMINAL ACTIONS.

I WOULD IMAGINE THAT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY A DE-ESCALATION TACTIC.

IS IT >> THINK THAT IS THAT IS THE CONCERN.

A COALITION OF REFORM GROUPS HAVE URGED THE FEDERAL JUDGE WHO IS OVERSEEING EFFORTS TO REFORM CPD.

>> TO OVERTURN A PROPOSED POLICY THAT ALLOWS MASS ARRESTS OF PROTESTERS DURING THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION.

AS WE'VE MENTIONED, SAYING IT VIOLATES THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND THE CONSENT DECREE.

DO YOU SHARE THOSE CONCERNS?

SO THOSE MASS ARRESTS PROCESS IS THOSE ARE AMONG THESE NEWLY REVISED POLICIES THAT CPD HAS DRAFTED FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THE ISSUE THAT WE SAW IN 2020 IN THE PROTESTS AND UNREST FOLLOWING THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD WAS A BREAKDOWN IN CPD IS MASS ARREST PROCEDURES ABILITY TO CONDUCT MASS ARRESTS CAN BE REALLY IMPORTANT.

IT'S ONE OF THE WAYS WE KEEP POLICE PRESENCE ON THE STREET WHEN A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEED TO BE ARRESTED SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE POLICE LEAVING A SCENE TO PROCESS ARRESTS.

SO I THINK THAT THAT SOME OF CPS POLICY CHANGES BOAT FOR A MORE ORDERLY MASS ARREST PROCESS, WHICH KEEP EVERYBODY SAFER IN UNIFORM AND OUT.

A PRESS CONFERENCE THIS MORNING, AS WE MENTIONED, ABOUT SECURITY PREPS FOR THE DNC SUPERINTENDENT SNELLING WAS ASKED ABOUT YOUR REPORT NOTED THAT HE HAD SPOKEN TO YOU ABOUT IT.

HERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT HE HAD TO SAY.

>> WE HAD A VERY FRANK CONVERSATION ABOUT THINGS LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDRESS ANY ISSUES THAT THE IGS OFFICE REGARDING OUR TRAINING.

>> SO BASED ON THAT CONVERSATION THAT YOU HAD WITH SUPERINTENDENTS KNELLINGER, CONFIDENT THAT HE APPRECIATES THE CONCERNS THAT YOU'RE RAISING AND B, THAT HE'S WILLING AND ABLE TO ADDRESS IN TIME.

>> HARD.

YES.

HAHA.

I'M HEARTENED BY THE PROGRESS UP HE'S MADE.

I THINK CHICAGOANS SHOULD BE HEARTENED THERE IS THERE.

I THINK THERE ARE PERSISTENT CONCERNS.

I THINK THERE'S TIME TO ADDRESS THEM.

AND I SINCERELY APPRECIATE SUPERINTENDENTS ENGAGEMENT ON THESE SNOWING IN HIS LETTER AND HIS RESPONSE TO YOUR REPORT NOTED THAT YOU DID NOT CONDUCT ANY INTERVIEWS WITH CPD OFFICIALS.

AS YOU PUT THIS REPORT TOGETHER.

IS THERE FOR YOUR PROCESS THAT YOU DID THAT AND PLAN ON RETURNING TO THAT IS GENERALLY PROCESS FOR FOLLOW-UP REPORTS.

THOSE ARE OFTEN KIND OF A DOCUMENT REVIEW BECAUSE THIS IS NOT AN ENTIRELY NEW EVALUATION, BUT IT'S A FOLLOW-UP TO OUR 2021 REPORT.

I THINK ALSO, YOU KNOW, IT STRIKES ME IS FAIR GAME TO EVALUATE A POLICY ON THE FACE OF THE POLICY THAT SAID WE ARE IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH CPD AND WE CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO MORE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS OTHER MATTERS.

ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT'S BEEN CP'S APPROACH TO SITUATIONS INVOLVING MASS ARRESTS AND THE USE OF BODY CAMERAS BY POLICE HAS CPD CLARIFIED THAT POLICY.

I THINK THAT ONLY CLARIFIED, BUT I THINK THAT THEY HAVE MEANINGFULLY IMPROVED THEIR INVENTORY OF DEPLOYABLE EQUIPMENT FOR PURPOSES OF BODY CAMERA.

THAT WAS ANOTHER ISSUE IN 2020 COVERAGE WAS VERY POOR IN TERMS OF HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THAT 2020 DEPLOYMENT HAD BODY WORN CAMERAS.

THAT'S A PROBLEM FOR ACCOUNTABILITY.

IT'S A PROBLEM FOR EVIDENCE COLLECTION.

IT'S A PROBLEM IN LOTS OF WAYS CPD REPORTS THAT THEY ARE BETTER EQUIPPED AND MORE CAMERAS TO DEPLOY BETTORS PROCESSES IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE OUT IN A DEPLOYMENT TO AMASS EVENT ARE EQUIPPED BODY-WORN CAMERAS.

THAT'S GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYBODY.

AND OF COURSE, WE'LL SEE HOW THIS ALL PLAYS OUT.

WHEN WE GET TO THE DNC.

BURT BRIEFLY, BEFORE WE LET YOU GO, WHAT'S NEXT AND WHAT WE EXPECT ANOTHER REPORT FROM YOU POST SEE TO SEE HOW THE CPD DID.

I THINK I THINK PROBABLY YES TONIGHT.

I KNOW.

I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT BEING A