Results tagged “security”

    

Come October 1, you'll notice fewer police cars near the Obama family's South Side home. the Chicago Police Department announced they would be ending their security details at the home after ongoing discussions with the Secret Service. However, spokesman Roderick Drew said the CPD will still have some sort of presence at the house. According to the Tribune, the CPD has spent $2.2 million (through July of this year) on the security detail at the house of which $1.5 million will be reimbursed.

More than 30 people were arrested at the Taste of Chicago and around Grant Park Friday, according to Chicago Breaking News and Sun-Times reports. Of that number, four were arrested for carrying guns (including a 15-year-old male with a sawed-off shotgun in his backpack) and two were arrested for carrying knives. Only two people were arrested on Saturday for misdemeanor charges, according to the Sun-Times. The first gun arrest for the 2009 Taste happened last Saturday, the Sun-Times reports.

Metra trains will soon have additional federal security on board. Metra insists the new plan is not in response to any threat but rather for the benefit of passengers.

The TSA patrols will "augment existing security resources, provide deterrent presence and detection capabilities, and introduce an element of unpredictability to disrupt potential terrorist planning activities," Metra said in a statement.

Continue reading "Metra Getting Security Help"

It appears that Chicago Police Department's efforts to increase security at this year's Taste of Chicago is working: a man was arrested as he attempted to bring a loaded gun into the festival on Saturday. Police said they were "acting on a tip" when they found a "9mm handgun on Shrome D. George," according to the Tribune. The 25-year-old Michigan City, Ind. resident has been charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and other weapons charges; he has a bond hearing today.

After last year's shoot-out at the OK Corral in the Loop following the fireworks at the Taste of Chicago, and Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis being raked over the coals for it, police aren't taking any chances this year and are upping security. According to Chicago Breaking News, some of the measures will include:

Mayor Daley loves cameras. Be it red light cameras, street sweeping cameras, or surveillance cameras, he can't seem to get enough of them. So he must be thrilled after last night's "unveiling" of 200 new security cameras placed around Navy Pier. The new $4.2 million monitoring system comes from IBM and, in a way, makes sense as Navy Pier is one of the city's top tourist attractions; Crain's says 8.3 million people visited in 2008. Or maybe Mayor Daley just wants to keep an eye on all those commies over at WBEZ (we kid!). The system, which was installed in February, has already proved useful.

Yesterday, we looked at the Chicago Police Department's efforts with President-Elect Barack Obama's security team and the cost (covered by the federal government) of the extra man hours. Looking to deflect the whisperings of criticism, Mayor Daley took to the press to defend the work being done to protect Obama and the benefit to Chicago. As usual, we can't do his words justice so we'll let him speak for himself:

This is a great honor…We’re excited about him being here. This is his transition. He could go to Washington, D.C…He’s not going to buy right into Washington. He’s here and he has people from all walks of life coming here. It is putting us on a global map more than anything else...

Continue reading "Daley Responds To Obama Security Criticism, Weis' Misstep"

If you work in the Loop, particularly in the vicinity of the Kluczynski Federal Building (230 S. Dearborn) you've probably noticed a heavy police presence thanks to President-Elect Barack Obama, who has a temporary office in the building while he waits to move into his new official office. And while the city certainly celebrated Obama's election victory a few weeks ago, more people are growing a little frustrated with immense security.

UIC officials have arrested a 24-year-old student after she allegedly sent out e-mails threatening violence on the West Loop Campus. The e-mail apparently went out Friday afternoon, and an eventual recipient was a senior administrator who reported the e-mail to police. According to a university spokesperson, the e-mail threatened violence in the spring.

Word to the wise: try to keep from talking to yourself, sweating excessively or hyperventilating the next time you pass through security at O'Hare. [] In light of this fall's news that TSA screeners had missed about 60 % of hidden bomb materials that were sneaked through security by tiger teams at O'Hare, the TSA is upgrading its strategy and employing new "psychological tactics." Sounds creepy, right? Really, it just means that screeners are now on the lookout for strange behavior.