DOWNTOWN — A program designed to keep children heading to Chicago's parks safe during the summer months will expand by 50 percent, the mayor's office announced.
After last year's summer pilot Safe Passage program was deemed a success, Mayor Rahm Emanuel says that will be expanded from 21 parks and two days per week to 31 parks and four days per week to help keep children participating in the Summer Teen League and Windy City Hoops programs.
"Every child deserves a safe place to play and just be a kid," Emanuel said in a statement. "We all share in the responsibility to make certain our kids are safe as they engage in recreation at their local park. With the expansion of this program, we are doubling down on a model that we know will keep our young people safe."
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The Summer Teen Sports League begins July 11 and runs through August 18 on Tuesday-Friday evenings from 4 to 8 p.m.
Windy City Hoops games take place on Friday and Saturday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. year round. Both programs for for teens age 13-18 are free and offered at multiple parks across the city, officials said.
More than 3,000 teens are expected to participate in the programs, according to the mayor's office.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said the park district programs are designed to give teens a "positive alternative to the streets."
"The Summer Safe Passage program is indicative of the type of 'all-hands' effort we need to make our communities safer," Johnson said.
Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd) has warned his colleagues to expect a violent summer.
"The city is bleeding," Munoz said in March. "If you aren't worried about what will happen this summer, you are not paying attention."
RELATED: Spend $25 Million Now To Prevent Violence This Summer, Munoz Tells Rahm
Nearly 200 people have been killed so far in 2017, about the same number of people shot and killed as of May 2016. 2016 was the most deadly year in Chicago in 20 years, according to city data.
As part of the Safe Passage program, 250 workers will serve "as eyes and ears for teens participating in these basketball programs at select parks," according to the mayor's office.
The workers will be trained by Chicago Public Schools officials on relationship-building skills, de-escalation strategies and safety protocols, according to the mayor's office.
The Chicago Park District will pay for the total cost of the program, according to the mayor's office.
The Safe Passage program was launched in 2009 to keep students out of harm's way on their way to and from class. The program nearly doubled in size after the district closed 49 schools in 2013, spurring fears that students would have to cross rival gang territory to get to their new buildings.
