The recent rise in political violence has resulted in injuries, assassinations and a culture where there seems to be no end in sight.

With the recent assassination of Arlington Heights native Charlie Kirk, I want to examine what local police can do to help prevent violence and secure public events involving public figures, especially political figures.

First, let me stress that these acts of violence are not specific to Republicans or Democrats. There are political ties on both sides to these attempted and actual assassinations, and the common factor is that they were politically motivated. Local police need to be proactive and involved in preventing such incidents.

From a local perspective, we have seen how the active involvement of local law enforcement has been successful in policing local venues featuring political figures without any violence or deaths.

Several months ago, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten’s town hall in Downers Grove was shut down when the atmosphere inside the venue became so heated that the police decided to end the event early.

A few weeks ago, a Downers Grove man was arrested by the FBI for threatening ICE agents during a protest outside a hotel where ICE agents were staying.

There is no question that tensions have increased significantly in America concerning political figures appearing at political events.

What can the police do locally? First, they need to become more involved from the start. Whether it is a federal protective agency, a state protective agency or any other private security tasked with safeguarding political figures, local police must play a key role in protecting both the public figure and the venue participants.

Some of these best practices, which I honestly consider common sense, need to be implemented now. Although they may seem simple, recent events at political venues show that these straightforward approaches to safeguard lives are often not being followed.

Event coordinators should contact local police early. The security team must communicate with local law enforcement to determine their security needs well in advance. A coordinated effort must be established between the political leader’s team and the local police.

A key question for local police is whether the staff of the political figures anticipates any demonstrations or rallies before, during or after the event. If protests are expected, clear procedures and expectations for managing these activities should be outlined.

Access to the event must be limited, and local police must be directly involved in providing physical security. It is crucial that a pre-event security and threat assessment be conducted.

While the protective detail will usually handle this, local police often know more about local opposition groups who plan to attend, so they should be involved from the start.

The police within the jurisdiction where the event occurs need to coordinate with surrounding law enforcement agencies. Since many of these locations will be suburban, staffing will be a significant concern, so local police should rely on neighboring agencies for support, and those agencies must agree to assist.

Command-and-control protocols for the event must be established. This includes command and control for local police, fire, paramedics, the federal protection detail and any other event security staff.

Local police should consider adding extra personnel for the event. This means that all days off and vacations might need to be canceled, and every available police officer who is not scheduled for street duty that day should be assigned to the event.

A walk-through or thorough inspection of the event site must be conducted before the event occurs, and once it has been inspected, it should be secured, with no one gaining access without authorization.

A pre-event briefing must be held for all personnel. Social media should be monitored weeks in advance. The political protectee’s team usually manages this task, but local law enforcement can also play a role.

These are some ways local police can assist with these events, and, as I mentioned earlier, it may seem simple, but it is not. If a disturbance happens, such as a shooting or assassination, law enforcement has failed.

After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, members of his security staff disclosed that they were contracted to serve as a physical barrier between the crowd and Mr. Kirk. They had not received any credible threats before the speaking event in Utah.

Their role was to prevent people from rushing the stage, throwing objects or engaging in physical confrontations with Mr. Kirk, as well as to escort him from his vehicle to the stage and back. Their primary goal was to prevent individuals from getting close to him and menacing or attacking him. There was no crowd control or building security involved in this case.

You may have noticed a pattern and warning in these assassination attempts and the assassination itself: Stay away from outdoor venues.

If I were advising political candidates today, I would tell them to avoid open-air venues for now and hold political rallies indoors where a security team and local police can more effectively manage security.

Like others across the country, I am worried about where we are headed, not only in terms of security at events but also regarding the direction of the nation.

The country is highly divided right now, and you can be sure that political violence undermines democracy. Regardless of who the target is or your ideology, we must pay close attention to our rhetoric. That is why security professionals need to return to the basics: understand the threats, know how to respond and ensure plans are followed through to secure venues and keep them completely safe.

House Speaker Mike Johnson recently said that the United States Capitol Police have investigated over 14,000 threats against members of Congress so far in 2025.

Our role at the local police level has always included assisting with these types of events. Times have changed, and it is now crucial for us to be actively involved in planning political events held in our communities.

We can no longer sit on the sidelines taking directives from others. Police chiefs and their staff must be directly involved, and if you face pushback, stand your ground. Political violence must end.

• Tom Weitzel is the former chief of the Riverside Police Department and spent 37 years in law enforcement. He can be reached at tqweitzel@outlook.com. Follow him on X at @chiefweitzel or TikTok at tiktok.com/@chiefweitzel.