Johnson Touts Collaborative Memorial Day Safety Plans

AND BEYOND.

BUT FIRST, TONIGHT'S TOP STOR.

>> IT COMMUNITY LEADERS.

>> THIS IS NOT SIMPLY A STRATEGY AROUND POLICING.

YOU HAVE A COLLABORATION OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAN THERE'S ACTIVITY IN CHICAGO.

MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT WE ARE GOING TO INVEST IN PEOPLE.

>> AND HERE WITH A LOOK AT THE SAFETY PLANS, ARE WTTW NEWS REPORTERS, MATHE MAT SHARON.

THEY STARTED WITH POSITIVE THINGS TO DO OVER THE WEEKEND.

HEATHER, WAS THAT A MESSAGE, VERSUS STARTING WITH THE POLICING PLAN.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

BRANDON JOHNSON WAS ELECTED ON A PLATFORM TO REIMAGINE PUBLIC SAFETY.

AND THIS WEEKEND IS REALLY THE FIRST TEST OF THAT PLAN.

AND HE PUT FORWARD A STRATEGY THAT EMPHASIZES THINGS TO DO TO KEEP TROUBLE FROM HAPPENING AS OPPOSED TO ADDRESSING TROUBLE ONCE IT HAPPENS.

WHAT WE TYPICALLY HAVE HEARD AT THESE PRESS CONFERENCES, WHICH HAS HAPPENED AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER.

HOW MANY OFFICERS WILL BE ON THE STREET.

WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO BE DEPLOYED.

WHAT THEY'LL BE TASKED WITH.

WE GOT NONE OF THAT TODAY, HERALDING A NEW APPROACH TO THIS TYPICALLY VIOLENT WEEKEND.

>> MARKING A SHIFT FOR SURE.

HERE'S WHAT INTERIMPOLICE SUPERINTENDENT FRED WALLER HAD TO SAY ABOUT CPD.

>> THIS EVENING OUR SWORN OFFICERS WILL HAVE ONE REGULAR DAY OFF CANCELED.

THIS IS A STANDARD PROCEDURE, AND OFFICERS WILL RECEIVE OVERTIME PAY FOR THIS.

>> WILL THERE BE ENOUGH FOR POLICE OR ENOUGH POLICE FOR THE HOLIDAY DEPLOYMENTS THIS HOLIDAY WEEKEND?

>> IN ORDER TO DO THAT.

HE'S GOING TO HAVE TO CANCEL AT LEAST ONE DAY OFF FOR ALL OF THESE.

THAT'S NOT UNUSUAL.

DREW THE IRE OF THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE.

WALLER, THOUGH.

HE'S THE INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT.

NOT GOING TO BE THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT FOREVER.

PERMANENT REPLACEMENT WILL BE FOUND IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS.

UNCLEAR GOING FORWARD IF THIS WILL BE THE STRATEGY GOING FORWARD ON THESE HOLIDAYS.

>> GOVERNOR PRITZKER SAYING THERE HAS BEEN SOME MOVING FORWARD.

>> WELL, SIMPLY PUT, THE STATE HAS ESSENTIALLY LEFTOVER MONEY FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

AND THIS IS PART OF THE ANTI-VIOLENCE STRATEGY, THAT THE GOVERNOR IS ALL IN ON.

BECAUSE HE AGREES WITH BRANDON JOHNSON THAT TO PREVENT VIOLENCE, YOU HAVE TO DO MORE THAN JUST HELP PEOPLE.

NOW, THESE, SO-CALLED PEACEKEEPERS ARE TRAINED IN MEDIATION.

AND THEY ARE GOING TO TRY TO PREVENT RETALIATORY CYCLES OF VIOLENCE, WHICH CAN SOMETIMES TAKE ROUTE ON WEEKENDS, WHERE EVERYBODY IS OUT, ENJOYING THE WARM WEATHER.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT'S GOING TO GET MUCH ABOVE 70 DEGREES.

SO PERHAPS THE MAYOR AND THE GOVERNOR HAVE MOTHER NATURE WORKING IN THEIR FAVOR AS WELL.

>> WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THESE 30 PEOPLE AND WHERE THEY WERE TRAINED?

>> AS HEATHER SAID.

THESE PEACEKEEPERS ARE TRAINED THROUGH DEESCALATION INTERRUPTION.

THEY'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS, AND TRY TO HELP SECURE THOSE SCENES.

THESE PEACEKEEPERS WERE SENT FROM PRITZKER, NOT FROM JOHNSON.

AND IT'S WHERE OFFICIALS ARE LEANING ON STRATEGIES, BESIDES JUST THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, TO TRY TO KEEP VIOLENCE DOWN OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND.

>> 253 GRASS ROOTS GROUPS WILL RECEIVE $255 MILLION.

HEATHER, HOW WILL THIS INVESTMENT HELP OVER THIS WEEKEND?

>> THE IDEA IS TO GIVE PEOPLE THINGS TO DO THAT PREVENTS THEM FROM MAKING BAD DECISIONS OR GETTING SORT OF WRAPPED UP IN TROUBLE.

THE IDEA IS THAT INSTEAD OF JUST SORT OF, YOU KNOW, HANGING OUT WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND MAYBE SORT OF GETTING INTO AN ALTERCATION WITH OTHER PEOPLE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE AT A BARBECUE, WHERE YOU'RE HAVING FUN, AND DANCING AND LISTENING TO MUSIC.

YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO LEAD TO A PROBLEM.

THAT IS THE STRATEGY.

SO WE HEARD THE MAYOR TALK A LOT ABOUT BARBECUES AND SORT OF BLOCK PARTIES AND THAT SORT OF THING.

THE QUESTION IS, CAN THEY SCALE THOSE SORT OF EVENTS, WHICH WILL HAVE TO HAPPEN ON SORT OF A BLOCK-BY-BLOCK BASIS, TO MAKE SORT OF AN OVERALL DIFFERENCE?

>> AND PAST MEMORIAL DAY WEEKENDS, WHAT HAVE WE SEEN IN THE LAST FEW YEARS IN POLICE STABS OVER THIS PARTICULAR HOLIDAY WEEKEND.

>> WE ALWAYS HEAR OF OFFICERS BEING DEPLOYED.

WE DIDN'T HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT THAT TODAY BUT IT'S NOT UNUSUAL FOR OFFICERS TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE IF NOT BOTH.

AS FOR VIOLENCE LEVELS.

IT HAS FLUCTUATED IN RECENT YEARS.

IN 2020, 10 PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND ABOUT 50 WERE SHOT.

THAT WENT DOWN TO THREE WERE BEING KILLED IN 2021.

AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TOUTED THAT AS ONE OF THE SAFEST MEMORIAL DAY WEEKENDS IN DECADES.

THERE WERE NINE PEOPLE KILLED AND ABOUT 50 PEOPLE SHOT ONCE AGAIN.

>> AND OF COURSE, EVERYBODY IS HOPING FOR A SAFE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.

WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT ON