Police Prep Security For Taste Of Chicago

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jun 26, 2009 4:00PM

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:

• 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.

Speaking to the press, Weis promised, "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." The Sun-Times adds:

Weis said the department is learning from past "mistakes" and will keep a vigilant eye on "troublemakers."

Most law-abiding Taste visitors won't even notice a difference from past years, he said.

There will be designated entryways -- at Monroe, Jackson, Congress and Balbo -- so officers and security personnel can get "get a good eye of people coming in," he said.

Mentioning there would be nothing like metal detectors, Weis also said, "It is not going to be a police state." The Taste of Chicago kicks off today and runs through next Sunday, July 5th. Check out our food preview here.