CHICAGO — The NBC shows "Chicago P.D." and "Chicago Fire" will step up their filming in city neighborhoods, city officials confirmed.
Since beginning filming for its fifth season on July 19, "Chicago P.D." has secured 95 permits for various locations. During the same period for last season, the show acquired 79 permits, said Rich Moskal, director of the Chicago Film Office.
Meanwhile, between July 20 and Oct. 3, "Chicago Fire" has secured 64 permits. During the same period last year, the show had secured 42 permits, Moskal said.
A third show produced by Dick Wolf, "Chicago Med," secured 21 permits during the same period each year, he said.
“We’re out in the city more, on location, which isn’t great for our poor, overworked crew, but storytelling-wise it’s a much more interesting show for the audience,” Patrick Flueger, who plays Adam Ruzek on "Chicago P.D.," told the Sun-Times, which first reported the cop drama's increase.
Many of the interior shots of the Wolf shows are filmed at Cinespace Studios, 2621 W. 15th Place, in the North Lawndale neighborhood.
Chicago has become a star in its own right the last few years. In 2016, there were 4,168 completed film permits issued by the city in 2016 — up from just 1,622 a year before.
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More than 1,600 of last year's permits were connected to four Wolf shows: "Chicago Fire," "Chicago PD," "Chicago Med" and the now-cancelled "Chicago Justice." Wolf has described Chicago as "a cleaner, politer New York with slightly heavier people."
Filming in neighborhoods has caused some conflict with residents. For example, in November, a number of parking spaces were temporarily removed near Wicker Park bars during the World Series for a "Shameless" shoot.
City officials responded the film industry creates jobs and has generated more than $1.3 billion in economic activity since 2011.
"Across the nation, cities and states aggressively compete for this industry, which is why the city continues to work to balance the potential impact filming may have on street traffic, without compromising our ability to remain competitive and continue attracting filming to Chicago," the film office said in a statement.
