Chicago police have been ordered to work in pairs and "exercise extreme caution" after a sniper who told authorities he "wanted to kill white officers" left five dead in Dallas during a peaceful protest Thursday night.
“In light of the tragic events across the country this week, including the unspeakable police assassinations in Dallas, CPD has designated that all officers must be paired up with their partners to increase visibility and strengthen officer safety,” Chicago police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement Friday morning.
“This week's events are also important reminder of our work with community partners to continue promoting positive engagement between officers and the residents we're sworn to protect,” Guglielmi wrote in the release.
Dispatchers alerted Chicago officers of the attack Thursday night as the situation was still ongoing, broadcasting an “all call” message over police radio that ran multiple times through the night and into the morning.
“All units stand by for the all call. For your situational awareness, the Dallas police department is reporting that 11 Dallas police officers have been wounded by gunfire by high power snipers armed with rifles,” the dispatcher can be heard saying.
In total, twelve officers in all — eight Dallas police and four DART — were shot by gunmen in what police believe to be a coordinated ambush attack that began at 8:58 p.m., at the close of a rally in solidarity with two men killed in officer-involved shootings, one in Louisiana, one in Minnesota.
On Friday Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson planned to reach out to the Dallas Police Department to offer condolences, according to the department’s release, and will offer “any assistance the city may need in responding to this tragedy.”
