CPD training day offers public a glimpse into officer preparation
CHICAGO – On Saturday, over three-dozen members of the public participated in the second Community Training Observation Day.
Participants got to sample classroom instruction and scenario-based training officers receive as part of a mandatory 40 hours of annual in-service training.
'This is not an easy job. I've said this before, this is very difficult work. At any given second, an officer can find himself/herself in a volatile situation,' Chicago Police Department Supt. Larry Snelling said. 'For me, it's very important for people to understand what our officers are dealing with.'
Cook County Sheriff's Office unveils new shooting range training center in Maywood
While many assumptions can be made about an officer's training, Snelling said the whole thing is about transparency with the public.
'This is a job where we are highly visible. We're responsible for people's safety. We can take criticism, but we want that criticism to be informed,' Snelling said.
A replica of a Chicago street intersection can be found inside the Joint Public Safety Training Center. It's designed to help officers train for critical incidents and run through the many scenarios they may have to face.
Participants also got the chance to play a role as police officers.
Multiple officers sent to Streeterville to prevent possible teen takeover
'It was a great experience, gets the blood pumping definitely,' participant Kevin Flores said. 'It's an awesome way to see what police deal with on a day-to-day basis.'
One scenario sampled on Saturday was a traffic stop, which started as routine before turning to a shots fired incident.
Another scenario was a traffic stop where the suspect runs away from the vehicle just as the officer approaches.
Participants said the event not only gave them a deeper understanding of police work, but also an appreciation for the everyday men and women behind the badge.
Funeral held for fallen U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jose Dueñez, Jr. of Joliet
'Every critic needs to come to this training and see what it's like,' participant Beverly Ann Sandifer said. 'I have a better understanding of what our beloved officers, who are people like me and you, they are people…they have things they go through on an everyday basis. They're no different. They're not aliens, they are humans.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Will the 'No Kings' anti-Trump rally be in Savannah? Here are the 22 cities hosting protest
June 14 is set to be a busy day with Flag Day, President Donald Trump's birthday, and now 'No Kings' Day. This is a nationwide movement against Trump and his upcoming military parade, with events in Georgia and the rest of the U.S. Here's what we know: Trump is planning a lavish military parade on June 14 which marks the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary and is Trump's 79th birthday. It will include 7,500 troops, 120 vehicles, 50 aircraft on the streets and in the skies of Washington, D.C. According to a planning document seen by USA Today, the parade and a series of related events in D.C. beginning next week will cost up to $45 million. The public perception around this parade has been incredibly mixed. While some view this as a show of strength or national pride, Markus Schiller, the CEO of a German aerospace and security company, echoed what many of Trump's opponents feel: "There's definitely a correlation between putting on a military parade and authoritarian parades are about sending message to other countries and also to domestic political rivals." 'No Kings' describes itself as a nationwide day of defiance by multiple groups including Indivisible, 50501, and Stand Up America. "The flag doesn't belong to Donald Trump. It belongs to us. We're not watching history happen. We're making it," organizers said on the No Kings website. "On June 14th, we're showing up everywhere he isn't—to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings." Each event will look different depending on who is organizing it. Some may be simply flag-waving rallies, while others will be marches or full-on sign-waving protests. More than 20 are confirmed in Georgia: Albany: "No Kings Albany, GA" 10 a.m. to noon. Athens: "No Kings Athens" 5-7 p.m. at College Square. Atlanta: "No Kings in Atlanta" 10 a.m. to noon at Liberty Plaza; "No Cake for False Kings Atlanta" 1-4 p.m. at Atlanta Station Bridge/Overpass. Augusta: "No Kings Augusta" 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Brunswick: "No Kings Brunswick, GA" 3-8 p.m. Columbus: "No Kings Columbus GA" 9-11 a.m. in front of the River Center in uptown Columbus. Douglas: "No Kings Douglas" noon-2 p.m. at Trojan Lane intersection. Fayetteville: "No Kings Fayetteville" 3-4:40 p.m. at Old Fayette County Courthouse. Forsyth County: "No Kings Forsyth County" 1-2 p.m. Gainesville: "No Kings in NE Georgia" 3-4 p.m. at Gainesville Square. Greene County: "No Kings Greensboro GA" 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Griffin: "No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance: Griffin" 10-11:30 a.m. at the Griffin Auditorium. Macon: "Kick Out the Clowns | No Kings Day of Action Macon" 10 a.m. to noon at Poplar Street median between 2nd and 3rd streets. McDonough: "No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance; McDonough" 12:30-2 p.m. at MCDonough City Hall. Savannah: "No Kings Savannah" 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Thomas Square Park. Statesboro: "No Kings Statesboro" 10 a.m. to noon. St. Mary's: "No Kings St. Mary's" 3-6 p.m. at St. Mary's Waterfront Pavilion. Suwanee: "No Kings Gwinnett County" 2-4 p.m. Tucker: "No Kings March Tucker" 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Tucker Recreation Center. Valdosta: "Valdosta - No Kings Day of Defiance" 2-3 p.m. Waycross: "No Kings Waycross" 9-11 a.m. at the sidewalk area between Checkers and Hog and Bones facing Memorial Drive. Woodstock: "No Kings in Woodstock: We Took the Same Oath" 2-4 p.m. Kim Hjelmgaard of USA Today contributed to this article. Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X and Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@ This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: When and where will the 'No Kings' anti-Trump protest be in Savannah?
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Photos released of teens tied to shooting outside Wrigley Field
CHICAGO - Chicago police released photos of teens wanted in connection with a shooting last month just steps away from Wrigley Field. The backstory The shooting happened just before 7 p.m. on May 15 in the 900 block of West Waveland Avenue outside Murphy's Bleachers. A 26-year-old man was standing on the sidewalk when he was shot in the left arm. He was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital and listed in good condition. Police said a gun was recovered at the scene. A person of interest was taken into custody following the shooting, but they were later released without charges. What we know Chicago police on Monday released images of four Latino teens wanted in connection with the shooting. They are described as between 15 and 17 years old. What you can do Anyone with information on the suspects is asked to contact Area Three detectives at (312) 744-8261 or submit an anonymous tip at using reference #JJ-256188. The Source The information in this report came from the Chicago Police Department and previous FOX 32 reporting.
Washington Post
16 hours ago
- Washington Post
‘I want my child back': Surge in D.C. shootings left 20 dead in May
A 19-year-old man about to start online college courses was gunned down on a Southeast Washington street; another man, 31, attending an elementary school track meet, was fatally shot on a Northeast sidewalk; and another, 59, eating dinner in his Northwest apartment, was hit by a stray bullet that came through a window. His mother walked in and found him slumped at a table, dead. They were among 20 people slain in the District in May, all by gunfire, in a surge of violence that brought the city's 2025 homicide toll to 69 as of Saturday, the last day of the month. After a long stretch in which the pace of killings in D.C. was lower than in 2024, the spike in violence last month meant that the body count as of May 31 nearly equaled the District's 73 homicides in the first five months of last year. 'We are seeing far too many interpersonal conflicts being settled with guns,' D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said at a news conference in late May, echoing a refrain heard from many of her predecessors during periods of increased shootings in the past. 'We're asking: Put the guns down. This is not the way to resolve disputes.' The May violence, including 18 killing in 18 days, also claimed the lives of Israeli Embassy employees Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, who were about to become engaged. Moments after leaving a reception at the Capital Jewish Museum, authorities and witnesses said, the two were shot by a gunman who shouted, 'Free Palestine!' The surge in homicides came as the District readied to host WorldPride, the largest LGBTQ+ festival in the world, which organizers anticipate will bring millions of visitors to the nation's capital. In addition, a huge military parade and related events are scheduled for June 14 to commemorate the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary. 'D.C. is no stranger to high-profile gatherings, and we have a proven track record of hosting them safely and successfully, and this year will be no different,' Smith said. 'But we all know that public safety is a shared responsibility.' Overall, violent crime was down 22 percent citywide compared with last year, when it was already at a 30-year-low, according to D.C. police and Justice Department data. Last year and this year represent a reversal from 2023, which saw a generational spike in violence. In a recent Washington Post-Schar School poll, half of D.C. residents said crime is an 'extremely serious' or 'very serious' problem in the city, but that was down from 65 percent last year and 56 percent in 2023. In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a task force on crime prevention and maximizing immigration enforcement in the District after repeatedly criticizing the city's handling of public safety. Jay Brown, an activist who lives in Ward 7 and runs a nonprofit counseling program called Community Shoulders, said Smith is minimizing the concerns of the communities most affected by violence by attributing the shootings to 'interpersonal disputes' — as though they were isolated incidents rather than evidence of a broader, deeper problem plaguing the city. And while the killings of Milgrim and Lischinsky sparked outrage around the world, Brown said, it is frustrating to him and others that everyday gun violence in the District, which tears apart families and communities, rarely receives wide or sustained attention. 'You don't get that from when these things happen across the river,' Brown said, referring to poor neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. 'That's the message I hear, like, don't concern yourself with this. … These acts of violence are not a concern for the public.' Kian-Wayne Magruder, 31, of Temple Hills, Maryland, went to the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association's elementary school track and field championships on May 20 to cheer on his girlfriend's son — and was fatally shot just steps from where hundreds of children were sitting in bleachers. Magruder was walking near the city's former Spingarn High School, where the competition was being held, when three men jumped out of a car just before 2 p.m. and at least one of them opened fire, Smith said at a news conference. The attackers fled, and the vehicle they used was later found in flames in the Fort Lincoln neighborhood. There have been no arrests in the shooting. Magruder's mother, LaKia Magruder, remembered her son as 'an involved father of two beautiful children' and a true 'family man' who lived a simple life. 'My son worked, worked out and spent time with his family,' she said. 'He always had a smile for you and a positive word.' He was an electrician apprentice, she said, but his true passion was physical fitness. She said he was building a career as a personal trainer. 'Kian-Wayne was my only child,' his mother said. 'He will definitely be missed by his family near and far. We must stop the senseless killings that continue to devastate our Black communities. Every life lost is a wound to our families, our neighborhoods and our future. The pain is real, the grief is deep and the cycle of violence must end.' Jamar Jackson, 19, the youngest of five sons, was fatally shot at about 10:20 p.m. on May 23 in the 4200 block of Fourth Street SE. The shooting also killed 16-year-old Royell Walker and injured a 14-year-old boy, police said. The shooting remains under investigation. Jackson liked to take care of everyone else, his mother, brothers and friends said. He encouraged one of his brothers to stay positive after he lost a job, and he motivated a friend to study for his driver's license test. One of his brothers said Jackson was a favorite uncle to his many nieces and nephews, always giving in when they asked for ice cream, candy and other treats. 'He wanted the best for everybody,' said his mother, Mesha Jackson. 'I miss my baby. I want my child back.' He was dating his high school girlfriend, JaNya Randolph, 20, who said Jackson kept encouraging her to dream big about what she wanted to do with her life. They went to prom together, and he wore an orange tie to match her dress, she said. Their three-year anniversary would have been Aug. 13. She said he would have bought her flowers, as in past years. He pushed himself, too. His mother said he was about to start online college courses in information technology. Randolph said Jackson hoped to become an entrepreneur with his own clothing brand. 'Jamar had a lot of plans,' she said. On the night of May 25, Jose Carcamo, 59, was eating dinner at a table in his bedroom when gunshots sounded in an alley behind his apartment building in the 1500 block of Ogden Street NW, police and family members said. Carcamo's mother was visiting from El Salvador for Mother's Day, said his cousin Jose Romero Carcamo. The mother, sitting in the living room, heard the gunshots and walked into the bedroom, where she found her son dead at the table. The cousin said Carcamo worked in construction and sent money back to El Salvador to support relatives there. He was planning to retire in five years and return to his native country, where he had been building a home for himself and his mother. 'He never had any problems,' the cousin said. 'He is working all his life for his mom. We don't have any answers. We don't know why, we don't know how, we don't know anything.'
