How we photographed a dog snarling at protesters in Broadview

This week’s top photo comes from Visual Journalist Candace Dane Chambers.

What makes this photo important?

Over the past two months, law enforcement agencies have used a variety of weapons and tactics to carry out “Operation Midway Blitz” and respond to community backlash. On Nov. 1, at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in suburban Broadview, for the first time, I saw K-9 units engaged during a standoff with protesters. While the dogs remained leashed and did not attack, their presence still felt like a striking escalation that hearkened back to other seminal eras of civil unrest in U.S. history.

How I got this picture

There were multiple protests organized outside the Broadview ICE processing center that day. Barricades outside the facility designated specific areas where protesters could stand off the public roadway. Protesters advanced past the barricades toward the center’s front gate where they were met by multiple law enforcement agencies including Illinois State Police troopers, Cook County Sheriff’s officers and the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System.

During a multi-hour standoff, pepper balls were deployed and an ISP SWAT armored vehicle was rolled out. After the crowd refused to disperse, the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System K-9 unit entered the scene. Other photojournalists and I heard the barking first and assumed it might be an audio recording intended to intimidate the protesters. But after peering through the front line of officers, I saw and quickly photographed a K-9 dog. I raised my camera slightly to take a picture between the shoulders of the front line officers, right before they tightened their ranks and partially obstructed my view.

Technical details

• Equipment: Canon EOS R5 with an RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM lens
• Focal length: 63mm
• Aperture: f/4
• Exposure: 1/1000
• ISO: 800

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