CHICAGO (WLS) — Events like the Millennium Park tree lighting and holiday shopping will bring a lot more people downtown in the coming weeks
Friday, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown will talk about steps to keep the crowds safe.
Superintendent Brown will discuss these safety efforts alongside business leaders later Friday as the holiday season in downtown Chicago gets underway.
Brown previously said that Chicago police were working to build relationships with businesses heading into the holiday season to keep shoppers safe using liaison officers.
Just last week, CPD said more officers would be walking the streets in the Central Business District.
These heightened efforts come ahead of some of the biggest and most popular Chicago holiday festivities, including the Christkindlmarket, the Millennium Park tree lighting ceremony and the Mag Mile Lights Festival, all of which draw thousands and thousands of people into the city.
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Brown said keeping the shoppers safe, is a community effort.
“Already, officers are sharing safety tips with the business community and with residents who ride the CTA and we will continue to do that outreach throughout the holiday season,” Brown said.
The Chicago Loop Alliance reports that recent pedestrian traffic along State Street is within 25 percent of 2019 levels, despite some safety concerns.
Loop and Near North Side accounted for one in four retail thefts in the city over the past year, but overall that total number is down from 2019 by 35 percent.
That news conference begins at 1:30 p.m. inside the Wrigley Building.
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