Skip to main content
IACP 2023 Main banner
Final Program


Onsite Guide
Icon Legend
Presentation Icons
Recorded Workshop
Recorded Workshop
Law Enforcement Only
Law Enforcement Only
Back

    Public Information Officers Section (PIO)

    Messaging through the Unthinkable: The Public Information Officers Perspective from the Highland Park, Illinois, Parade Mass Shooting

    Saturday, October 14, 2023
    4:00 PM – 5:00 PM PST
    Location: Room: 9

      Submitter and Speaker(s)

    • Christopher Mannino

      Vice President
      Julie Parker Communications
      Wilmington, North Carolina, United States

      • Speaker(s)

    • Julie Parker

      Law Enforcement Communications Consultant/President & Chief Executive Officer
      Julie Parker Communications
      Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States

    • Christopher Covelli

      Deputy Chief
      Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois
      Waukegan, Illinois, United States

    On the morning of July 4, 2022, a shooter took a position on a rooftop overlooking a holiday parade in Highland Park, Illinois, and opened fire on participants and spectators. The suspect initially fled, causing fear and anxiety throughout the region. A massive manhunt led to his arrest later that day. Deputy Chief Chris Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded in the early moments after the shooting ended and served as the lead public information officer in response to the national media interest in this tragic event. This debrief of the public messaging in the aftermath of the type of active threat that can strike anywhere looks at the best practices employed and lessons learned through the hours and days after the shooting that left seven people dead and dozens wounded.