Police Will Have 1,300 Extra Cops Patrolling On Memorial Day Weekend

By Rachel Cromidas in News on May 26, 2017 9:37PM

The Chicago Police Department has announced that they will add 1,300 extra cops to the streets each day of Memorial Day Weekend, in addition to bolstering the department's special units around the parks, beaches and highways, police said in a press conference Friday afternoon. That's up from 800 additional officers each day last year, officials said.

Memorial Day Weekend is a historically bloody weekend for Chicago—last year for example, at least 69 people were shot, at least 6 fatally. In 2015, 44 people were wounded and 12 were killed in shootings around the city from Friday to Tuesday of Memorial Day Weekend. As the unofficial start of summer in Chicago, when the weather is warmer and the violence rate typically goes up, Memorial Day Weekend is of particular concern for law enforcement agencies.

"Chicago Police will not tolerate violent behavior, and if you choose to put others in danger with your actions, you will feel the full weight of CPD and our partners in law enforcement," Police Chief Eddie Johnson said in the press conference.