Chicago DNC 2024: Secret Service, ATF make final security preparations for Democratic National Convention

CHICAGO (WLS) — As the Democratic National Convention is about to open, the major law enforcement groups responsible for protecting the massive event say they are prepared.

Two of the top federal agencies, the United States Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, tell the ABC7 I-Team the convention presents a unique challenge with needs for duplicate security checkpoints.

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Equipment and labor will be needed at both the United Center and McCormick Place. Equally important: the strength of the dog.

ATF canine teams will be deployed at the two convention locations. Their mission will be to screen vehicles for explosives at the DNC locations and throughout the city. Specially trained dogs are also able to detect firearms and ammunition.

“We have our special agents handling canines, we will be deployed at checkpoints,” said Christopher Amon, ATF Special Agent in Charge in Chicago. “They will be deployed to various locations to ensure that any issues there are mitigated to a potential explosive device or package. So we’ll have them all over town and we’ll be working on this event to make sure it’s safe. “

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Agents from the agency’s northern Illinois field office in Downers Grove will be on standby so the National Response Team can be quickly dispatched to the DNC if there is a critical event.

“The smell that would be emitted by an explosive device – over 19,000 of these smells that I can recognize to help, again, keep this event safe and ensure that a malicious actor couldn’t get to location. with an explosive device,” Amon said.

At the United Center and McCormick Place, the ATF, FBI, Homeland Security and others planned and collaborated to ensure the DNC went as planned. All agencies that serve in support of the primary federal agency, the Secret Service.

“The Secret Service is a no-fail mission. So we’re always at the highest level of security,” said Derek Mayer, Secret Service Special Agent in Charge, Chicago.

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Mayer said their main multi-agency communications center is a key component in protecting a special national security event.

The hub is so critical that revealing exactly where it is could compromise the key tool. The I-Team agreed to report only that it was more than 30 miles from the United Center. It’s what the Secret Service calls the X center of the security operation.

“There are over 60 agencies that are represented in that facility,” Mayer said. “So communications are very important in a day-to-day matter, but especially at an NSSE event. So it must be far from the city. We try to take it a few, a few kilometers away from the city center, as we like to cancel it. X.”

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What might happen on the outside remains one of the biggest concerns as speeches and nominations take place at next week’s convention.

The I-Team spent the summer taking a close look at the major police groups responsible for protecting the DNC and the rest of the city. Almost every agency highlighted the strength of the partnerships they formed as the biggest key to keeping people safe and contributing to the success of the event.