**LEAD STORY**
The Democratic National Convention, along with President Bill Clinton, comes to the City of Chicago in August. Already, federal law enforcement agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Secret Service, are asking foreign intelligence agencies for any information about possible international plots to disrupt the convention. Possible terrorist attacks top the list of main concerns to the security forces that will blanket Chicago this summer.
The convention will be held at the United Center on Chicago's near West Side. This is the same facility where Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls play their basketball games. Security planners for the upcoming convention have recommended that the convention stage be built away from the sides of the building that may be vulnerable to truck bombs. Counterterrorism experts are also studying less-protected areas in the city, such as hotels where delegates and government officials will be staying.
Demonstrators are another concern. Memories of the 1968 Democratic National Convention still haunt the Chicago Police Department (CPD) just as Viet Nam has haunted the U.S. military. It is being reported that many activists are planning to come and protest during the convention. These groups are said to be comparing notes with one another on the internet.
Chicago Police officers have been undergoing special training in preparation for the convention. CPD Sergeant Jim Devereaux told one training class, "We have a reputation as thugs in uniform." This infamous reputation comes from the televison news images of helmeted police officers beating on anti-war demonstrators on Michigan Avenue in 1968. The Chicago Police Department intends to avoid any such reoccurance this time around.
Though everyone seems to remember what some people called "a police riot" at the 1968 convention -- the same people tend to forget that nearly 200 CPD officers were injured in the confrontations.
Today, only seven percent of the officers on the department were a part of what happened in 1968. The department is much more representative of the population that it serves. 61 percent of CPD officers have attended college or earned a degree. 25 percent are black. 18 percent are female and ten percent are Hispanic.
Most of the responsibility for perimeter security will fall on the 2,500 members of the Chicago Police Department's tactical teams and special units. Tactical teams normally work in plain- clothes in Chicago Police districts. During the convention, these officers will be back in uniform. They are among the best officers on the department.
They will be reinforced with 25 Immediate Reactionary Forces, which can be described as flying squads of ten officers each. They can immediately respond to wherever any disturbance may take place. If needed, more officers from the city's 13,200- member police department can be called in as needed.
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