The Chicago Police Department has confirmed it was cautioned that several local street gangs might have formed a pact to “shoot on-sight” any officer seen with his or her weapon drawn.
“We have been made aware of this threat by a law enforcement partner,” the Chicago Police Department said in a statement shared with The Washington Times on Wednesday.
“The Chicago Police Department takes all threats against officer safety seriously and we will take all necessary measures to safeguard our officers,” the CPD added.
A situational information report issued by the FBI last month said members of People Nation — a local alliance of street gangs — may have made the pact, Chicago’s WLS-TV reported.
The report, according to WLS, said “members of these gang factions have been actively searching for, and filming, police officers in performance of their official duties. The purpose of which is to catch on film an officer drawing his/her weapon on any subject and the subsequent ’shoot on-sight’ of said officer, in order to garner national media attention.”
Dated Aug. 26, the “potential activity” alert was attributed by the FBI to “a contact whose reporting is limited and whose reliability cannot be determined,” according to WLS.
The FBI declined to comment about the report but said it regularly shares critically important intelligence regarding violent crime and officer safety with its partners.
People Nation composed of nearly three-dozen local street gangs, including Vice Lords and Latin Kings, among others, according to the ABC station.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.