Friday, May 18, 2012

Crowd Control Techniques Expected to Be Used by Chicago Police During the NATO Summit

PoliceOne.com reports:

 Chicago police are planning a range of tactics — some old, some new — to control protests outside the NATO summit scheduled for May 20 and 21. A look at some crowd-control techniques and the department's position on them:

EXTRACTION: Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says officers will attempt to extract individual lawbreakers from crowds to keep problems from escalating. He says the department does not want to disperse crowds.

CUT TEAMS: These teams will be dispatched to separate protesters who have chained themselves to each other in so-called "sleeping dragon" maneuvers to block vehicle or pedestrian traffic.

SOUND CANNONS: Long-range acoustical devices (LRADs) emit ear-piercing noise to paralyze or disperse crowds. McCarthy says he intends to use the devices only to get protesters' attention so police can better communicate with them.


TEAR GAS/PEPPER SPRAY: McCarthy has publicly raised doubts about the effectiveness of tear gas as a crowd control tool. Each officer will be equipped with pepper spray, but McCarthy says it should be used only to thwart assaults on officers.

CORRALING: Police sometimes surround a crowd so no one can move, a method known as "kettling." Chicago officers detained hundreds of people this way during an Iraq war protest in 2003 and recently paid more than $6 million to settle resulting lawsuits.

BICYCLES: Officers use their bikes for mobility but also to create a barrier to crowd movements. Chicago police used this tactic during a recent May Day march.

WARNINGS: During an Occupy protest last year, police methodically issued warnings to individuals and groups of protesters before making arrests. McCarthy says that method again will be used, if possible.

SHIFTS: Police will rotate officers off the front lines to guard against frayed nerves and fatigue that might contribute to confrontations with protesters.

11 comments:

  1. First Amendment: The right of the people peaceably to assemble, and petition the government for a redress of grievances.

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  2. All this for an organization (NATO) that has no reason to exist any longer. The Soviet Union hasn't existed in over 20 years. This is just a government defense contractor's club meeting.

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    Replies
    1. And why have it in a major American city? Why not meet in Libya, or Haiti?

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  3. Public safety arguments will always trump the constitution, and not saying that it should, just that it does. Freedom of speech is trumped by not being allowed to yell fire in a crowded theater. Once you concede or give an inch, they will take a mile.

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  4. Wonder what would happen if everyone just stayed home and minded their own business instead. None of the protests are going to change what is going on by themselves and I believe there are far better ways to get the message out to those who might hear it than being brutalized and murdered in the streets.

    What if they gave a war and nobody came?

    The police unions and so forth would be LIVID, of course. They need job security too, don't you know?

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  5. People will be paid to show up so that the government can practice crowd control techniques in anticipation of future revolts.

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  6. What if people showed up with aluminum foil on their heads and the sound machines didn't work on them? I mean, just saying it works by microwaves doesn't it? Microwaves don't go through aluminum foil very well.

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    1. Sorry anonymous, but sound machines are used to generate sound waves, not microwaves which are like radio and light waves. You have been out protesting too much and not studying enough.

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    2. Sorry, but sound machines generate sound waves, not microwaves which are like radio or light waves. The sound waves won't know the aluminum foil is there. You need to work on a better defense, like not going there. You perhaps have spent too much time protesting and not enough studying.

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    3. Sorry, but sound generators generate sound waves, not microwaves which are like radio or light waves. The sound waves won't know the aluminum foil is there. You need to work on a better defense, like not going there. You must have spent too much time protesting and not enough studying.

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  7. Who are the Chicago police working for, NATO or American citizens?

    Now, let's take that one step further. What did the Chicago police promise to do when taking their oath to become sworn officers?

    Answer: THE CONSTITUTION

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