The waste of Chicago

Cops reveal 'Taste' security plans
June 25, 2009 1:23 PM | 13 Comments
Chicago police today announced security plans for Taste of Chicago, one year after violence marred the event and the city's 4th of July festivities.

Security steps for Taste, which begins Friday, will include:
--Police will staff the four designated access points to the festival and illegal items will be confiscated and unruly attendees will be turned away.
--A security emphasis at CTA and Metra stations and Pace bus stops.
--An increase in uniformed and plainclothes officers
--Police will be monitoring security cameras near the festival and citywide.




Police were out in greater force at the Taste last year after four people were shot, one fatally, in the Loop following the city's fireworks display and the food festival.

Police Supt. Jody Weis said at the time that the shootings were about a mile from the festival grounds, and that people should not be discouraged from attending the popular summer event. Two of the shootings occurred about 10:40 p.m., roughly a block apart, officials said.

Today Weis would not say how many officers would be staffing the event. "Folks will feel very safe because they're going to see a police officer on almost every block, and in some instances 20 feet, so we're going to have a very hard presence in terms of letting people know we have a lot of officers in place," Weis said.

Officials said they learned lessons from the heightened security downtown during President Obama's Election Night celebration, and they will apply those to the Taste. "We have made a number of security enhancements based in part on our experience with crowd control" that night, Weis said.

The festival will be fenced in with only four designated access points, much like the security for the Blues Fest earlier this month.


The Office of Emergency Management and Communications will have an emergency operations center open during the festival.

The public is urged to call 911 to report any criminal or suspicious activity. They can also text to C-R-I-M-E-S and put CPD in the subject.

-- Staff report