OFFICIAL NATO Summit Coverage - May 19, 2012

Good morning, everyone, it's 10:10am. This post will have the official NATO Summit coverage for today, May 19, 2012. The NATO Summit will be covered her via a police scanner, on Zone 4 (1st and 18th Districts) and Citywides 1-7. I may monitor Zones 5 and 13 as well, as they carry the expressways on them. Today, there are no major demonstrations planned in Downtown, but you never know what will happen, so I'll have my ears on throughout the day. Right now, I'm monitoring the TMAs on Citywide 7, and will switch through the Citywide channels throughout the day. Here's the coverage for the NATO Summit today.

10:13am - TMA 1307Adam needs a car towed. She's at Ohio and State with it. It's blocking something.

10:22am - TMA 1942 is reporting that a motorcade is coming down State Street as we speak.

10:33am - TMA 6 needs some cones over at Michigan and Roosevelt. 1111 will bring some over.

10:35am - TMA 1964 has an emergency. Van Buren and Dearborn. Male Black, 5'6, 220 lbs, white shirt, blue jeans and black gym shoes just battered her on the corner. She's okay, but would like a supervisor on scene. TMA 21 is on the way. Offender ran south on Plymouth.

10:38am - TMA 46 has a minor traffic accident at Dearborn and Wacker. No injures, though.

10:44am - Just a reminder for everyone: Lakeshore Drive is CLOSED from Balbo to 39th/Oakwood Blvd. (which may be extended later to Wacker), and the Stevenson Expressway is closed east of the Dan Ryan. All roads around McCormick Place are CLOSED as well, as official NATO-related events will be held there. Also, there are (and will be) many, many more road closures that are going into effect. Please keep watching this post for updates, and be updated through live media coverage (TV, radio, newspapers).

10:45am - A TMA is inquiring about the intersection of 31st and King Drive for tomorrow morning, as a pastor of a church right over there is asking her if they can let cars through for service. TMA 40 comes on the air and says that people with good reasons will be allowed through the closures, and church is a good reason.

11:40am - I'm taking a 20 minute break until noon. I'll be back then. From 12pm to 8pm, I'm covering Citywide 6, as I think that's the official channel for the NATO Summit and all related events.

12:00pm - I'm back. Good afternoon, everyone.

12:08pm - Information only: There is a security perimeter from 21st to 25th, Indiana to the lakefront. This is because of the NATO events being held at McCormick Place. Also, there is talk of closing Lakeshore Drive further north, as far north as Grand Ave.

12:16pm - Beat 3George1 wants all of the Sergeants assigned to Ohio and Rush streets are being asked to meet with her.

12:25pm - Beat 3700Adam is telling all units assigned to the posts along the Kennedy Expressway for the motorcade are to remain at their posts until further notice.

12:26pm - There's apparently an accident at Dearborn and Ohio with injures. CFD is en route.

1:49pm - Beat 5thPost13 is asking if there's been a report of a problem at the Cermak-Chinatown Red Line station. Dispatch is saying that the 9th District is handling that incident, but 5thP13 is sending some of his units down that way.

1:51pm - Beat MaryCharlie14David has a car illegally parked in the tow zone at 100 E Huron. Tow needs to be ordered.

2:22pm - Again, the officers are to remain on their posts.

2:33pm - All officers on the ramps of the Kennedy Expressway ONLY need to start their closures now.

2:39pm - There cannot be any new traffic on the Kennedy, and Beat 3700A wants all the previous traffic to start getting pushed off the expressway. All CPD personnel are to enforce the closures, and Illinois State Police needs to do their end now.

2:42pm - 3700 tells Dispatch that they cannot reveal the locations of the motorcades passing through.

2:44pm - Again, NO traffic is to be allowed onto the Kennedy.

2:52pm - 3700 is telling all the units to, again, not allow ANY traffic on the Kennedy inbound, until further notice.

2:54pm - 3700 is reporting that there's inbound traffic coming from somewhere. He is checking now to see what units are where, so the traffic can be closed off again.

2:55pm - All units on Ohio, Rush, Chicago and Miles Van De Rohr are to put their closures into effect now.

2:57pm - 3700 is saying that the units can open up the ramps of the Kennedy about a minute after a motorcade passes.

2:58pm - A motorcade is now passing the Logan Square neighborhood on the Kennedy. 3700 is, again, saying that NO information about where the motorcades are should be said over this frequency.

3:02pm - All pedestrian traffic must stay on the sidewalk.

3:05pm - There should be NO northbound traffic on Michigan from Ohio. Also, all traffic should be opened on Ohio ONLY.

3:07pm - The 2:55pm closures can reopen now.

5:07pm - Really quite hear on Citywide 6. If it remains this way, I'm just going to end my coverage of this frequency at 6pm, and then I'll monitor some other frequencies before I'm done for the night.

5:22pm - BREAKING NEWS: We've got a scuffle in progress with the NATO protesters. I'm watching this live on ABC7 News. 18th and Michigan. Police have a large fight on the scene. Plenty of officers on scene.

5:24pm - They're arresting someone. From what I'm hearing on the radios, this scuffle's being radioed in on Zone 4.

5:30pm - Ok, looks like the whole NATO event is on Zone 4, so I'm switching over to there now. Citywide 6 is going to be used for tonight's Cubs VS Soxs game. I can't cover both events, and the NATO takes priority.

5:32pm - The transport from the scuffle needs be walked over to State and 18th, to the 1st District station.

5:36pm - Protest is being held at Michigan and 14th, due to an incident in one of the buildings involving a man passing out. Not related to the protest.

5:37pm - The protesters are heading north on Michigan, from 16th.

5:39pm - Traffic control is now needed at 24th and Michigan. Northbound traffic.

5:42pm - The protest is now heading west on Roosevelt, about to turn onto State St. Protesters are being allowed to go again.

5:46pm - Traffic control now needed at Michigan and 21st, southbound.

5:49pm - Traffic control needed at Congress and State. Southbound traffic.

5:58pm - Oh, here we go again. More cars needed at State and Harrison. Big fight with the NATO protesters again. This is per Beat 172. I saw this unfolding on the news.

6:02pm - A slow down is being given on the State/Harrison situation. Lot of cops on scene but some more could be useful.

6:12pm - 1) The protesters are moving again, north on State from Harrison. 2) Traffic needs to be blocked on Michigan at Congress and Van Buren.

6:29pm - Got someone trying to put up an "Occupy Chicago" sign. Congress and Michigan. Two units being sent over to check.

6:34pm - The protesters are now at Van Buren and Jefferson.

6:38pm - Narcotics. 18XX S Michigan. Four protesters in front, smoking heroin and marijuana.

6:39pm - More cars needed again, per 172. Jefferson and Jackson. Two groups of protesters are converging on the scene, possibly trying to cause a riot.

6:40pm - Help needed at Monroe and Jefferson, too. Several hundred people out there, causing a real big scene.

6:42pm - Beat 1830 is requesting a couple of cars on the west end of the Merchandise Mart, near the river, as they're excepting some protesters to come that way.

6:45pm - Beat car 112 is saying that all the protesters from the Jefferson incidents are now at Jefferson and Madison, gathered in the middle of the street.

6:59pm - Some more developments into this whole protest thing: apparently, there's a group of 4 of them on top of the building at the northwest corner at Fulton and Jefferson. 12th District is being notified as we speak. Also, the group of protesters are headed north on Jefferson.

7:01pm - Group of protesters at Wells and Van Buren, with signs and blocking the street. Also have a group at Washington and Wacker.

7:04pm - The big group of protesters are now headed east on Fulton from Jefferson.

7:08pm - Assault. 555 W Madison. Group of protesters threatened to harm the building.

7:09pm - The protesters are now at Canal and Lake, headed east across the river.

7:14pm - Officials are now trying to push all the NATO protesters into Millennium Park, per the Command post. 172 is reporting that they're all at about Lake and Wells, headed east towards Michigan Ave.

7:18pm - East on Randolph from LaSalle.

7:19pm - Now they're all stopping at LaSalle and Randolph. Possibly for another fight. 172 will keep Dispatch advised.

7:20pm - Half the group is headed south on Wells, towards Washington.

7:22pm - Traffic on Randolph at Michigan needs to be cut off. Traffic can go east on Randolph from Michigan. All other directions need to be blocked. They're trying to push everything into Millennium Park.

7:33pm - Disturbance. Dearborn and Washington. Large group of protesters with bricks and spraypaint, going into the Daley Plaza area.

7:35pm - Traffic at Randolph/Michigan can be reopened.

7:40pm - Got another group of protesters near Washington and Michigan.

7:48pm - TMA 1940 has some sort of incident unfolding at State and Congress with some protesters. She's trying to break a possible fight up, but Dispatch advises her to stand back and wait for CPD to arrive.

8:01pm - Command Post needs traffic blocked off at Congress and Michigan.

8:03pm - The protesters are now at Congress/Michigan, and they'll be there for a while.

8:48pm - 1) They're starting to move again. North on Michigan from Congress. 2) A group of protesters have bricks and bats at Michigan and Wacker. Officers are advised to use extreme caution.

8:51pm - The protests are starting to move into the 18th District from 1 on Michigan Ave. Southbound traffic needs to be blocked off at Ohio and Illinois on Michigan.

8:52pm - Beats 1887Adam and 1887Boy are headed over to Ohio and Illinois/Michigan.

8:54pm - The Coast Guard needs some help over the river on Michigan Ave. Some guy just threw a brown bag over the walkway.

8:56pm - Beat 1870 wants all the 1882 units to head over to Michigan/Wacker for those protesters.

9:04pm - Sounds like the protests are heading back west on Randolph from Michigan, possibly towards Daley Plaza again.

9:07pm - Traffic also needs to be blocked off at Hubbard and Wabash.

9:18pm - Bunch of protesters in all black at Dearborn and Randolph. Possible anarchists.

9:24pm - Illinois State Police is now at Daley Plaza, Washington and Dearborn, trying to secure the area.

9:31pm - Got a group of anarchists behind the Board Of Trade building. This building is located near LaSalle and Van Buren.

9:34pm - Just so everyone knows for tomorrow, Lakeshore Drive is closed from Grand to 39th.

9:35pm - Beat cars 112 and 113 are on scene at the Board Of Trade, indicating that there's a bunch of police there and they can't do anything for now.

9:37pm - Traffic needs to be blocked at Congress and Wabash. The TMA that was there left.

9:45pm - Oh lord. Traffic accident at Wacker and Jackson. Several people were hit by a CPD squad car. Standby for more information...

9:57pm - From the 9:45pm accident, there has been at least one person injured. It may have been self-inflicted, too. EMS is taking him to the hospital.

10:17pm - Ok, here is what's going on as of now. Chicago Police's Top Cop Garry McCarthy is giving a live news conference regarding the accident at Wacker/Jackson. He's saying that there was in fact a CPD squad car involved in the accident, with one man being hit by it. Eyewitnesses, who include news reporters, journalists, etc., are saying that the squad car flew through the intersection and hit the man. McCarthy wants to see the video. McCarthy is saying that a group of protesters jumped on top of the police vehicle involved in the accident, and then two tires on the vehicle were slashed, and it has handprints, bumps and dents on it. Evidence Techs are coming out to process it now. One news reporter is asking if it's "protocol" for a CPD vehicle to charge through a crowd like that, but McCarthy refuses to answer the question, saying that the officers in the car were being attacked by the crowd. Reporters are saying one thing, basically, and McCarthy is saying another. He will not do an interview with them until further information is given. As a matter of fact, there was just another incident at Wacker/Jackson, with someone from the media showing McCarthy video of a protester trying to take another protester's camera then proceeding to assault them. No charges will be filed in that incident, as the victim does not want to press charges. In general, he's saying that there has been 18 arrests this evening from the NATO events, and six people will be charged for sure.

10:19pm - More information: McCarthy is saying that the guy in the wheelchair from the news clips in the Wacker/Jackson accident was NOT hit by a squad car, basically. He's very defensive right now, keeps saying "I don't know, I don't know,". Wow. But anyway, another reporter just asked McCarthy what is going on throughout the rest of the city. He's saying that Wrigley Field was a really peaceful event with no arrests, and there has "only" been two shootings in the city. Back to the NATO events, McCarthy is saying that yes, at times, CPD did get "protective equipment" for their officers, with head gear and what not, because of people throwing punches and weapons at them, and McCarthy says that he does have to protect his officers. As for the marches, McCarthy is saying that he is doing his deployments the way he's doing them because of some of these people are from out of town and don't even know where they're going.

10:34pm - This concludes my coverage for tonight of the NATO Summit and related events. I'll be back tomorrow with all of this coverage. Good night, everyone.