Chicago on Alert for All Manner of Violence this Fourth of July Weekend

By DENNIS ROBAUGH (Patch National Staff)

If a terrorist attack took the lives of 13 people and wounded 70 in Chicago over the Fourth of July weekend, the nation would be stunned, outraged and fall deep into mourning as we worried about security.

Last year, 13 people were killed and 70 wounded in a bloody Independence Day weekend in the kind of routine violence we’ve come to expect in the city of Chicago.

Earlier this week, the FBI announced that the nation would be on high alert for possible terrorist attacks over the holiday weekend, and urged people to be vigilant. To guard against our own homegrown violence, the Chicago Police Department has called “all hands on deck” to try to tamp down the mayhem and avoid another body count like 2014.

The idea is to avoid a tragedy of any type, foreign or domestic.

With this deployment, Chicago police also will be “aggressively enforcing” public drinking and other violations, according to Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who spoke at a press conference this week.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel called together his top advisers earlier this week and demanded a “coordinated plan,” reports DNAInfo Chicago.

With fireworks at Navy Pier, the Grateful Dead in town for three sold-out shows at Soldier Field and the Cubs and White Sox hosting ballgames, the city will be packed with fun seekers downtown and in the neighborhoods.

Chicago cops will be working 12-hour shifts over the four-day weekend, freeing up the third-shift for flexible deployment to trouble spots.

“The entire department will be out, we’ll be out in uniform,” McCarthy said.

From the FBI’s perspective, the recruiting that ISIS has undertaken in the United States is a source of concern. A few such cases have arisen in the Chicago area. The nation is on alert for every major holiday, but recent overseas attacks have heightened the sense of caution among federal authorities. “Lone wolf” attacks are the concern for this Fourth of July weekend.

Following overseas attacks in June, Department of Homeland Security Jeb Johnson said law enforcement was being encouraged to be “vigilant and prepared” for Independence Day celebrations.”

“We will also adjust security measures, seen and unseen, as necessary to protect the American people,’’ Johnson said. “We continue to encourage all Americans to attend public events and celebrate this country during this summer season, but always remain vigilant.’’