DOWNTOWN — Police will have 1,300 of additional officers on the street in preparation for what will likely be a violent Memorial Day Weekend, officials said.
The extra officers will be deployed as part of a "comprehensive strategy to make it abundantly clear that violence will not be tolerated," Supt. Eddie Johnson said Friday.
The holiday weekend typically marks the start of Chicago's more violent period in the spring and summer.
The department will also step up bicycle and foot patrols along the Lakefront and in Chicago parks, Johnson said.
More officers will also be assigned to patrol the Memorial Day parade Downtown in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Manchester, England. Johnson echoed Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who said earlier this week that there was no credible foreign terror threat to the city.
Last year, there were 52 shootings that left six people dead and 62 wounded over the long weekend. Officials deployed an extra 800 officers a year ago, Johnson said.
But there have been fewer shootings overall this year than there were by this point in 2016.
Memorial Day Weekend violence from past years:
Data from 5 p.m. Friday-8 a.m. Tuesday of the holiday weekend
Fourth of July weekend is typically the most violent for Chicago, a Tribune analysis found last year, but long weekends tend to see spikes.
Throughout the weekend, the department's mobile command centers will be deployed on the Lakefront and throughout the city as incidents occur, Johnson said.
Traffic enforcement will also be stepped up along Lake Shore Drive, and the Illinois State Police will also step up patrols, officials said.
To assign more officers to patrol this holiday weekend, many officers had their days off canceled and will have their shifts extended, Johnson said.
Those additional officers are designed to give the department increased "visibility," Johnson said.
