City beefs up security for Riverwalk’s summer season
Six dedicated Chicago Police officers will join private security in patrolling the downtown Riverwalk during the summer season to enforce an 11 p. m. curfew that was ignored last year before an alarming summer shooting.
Fleet and Facilities Management Commissioner David Reynolds said the six Central District officers will patrol the 1.25- mile walkway, from Lake Shore Drive to Lake Street, from 2 p. m. to 1 a. m.
“They will make sure that the vendors all close up fine and there’s no issues after hours. They’ll also make sure that if there’s anyone down here after hours, that we rush them off,” Reynolds said.
Chicago Police will be joined by a Fleet and Facilities Management security officer working “half- shifts” and by officers from Titan Security, the subcontractor hired by property and concession manager MB Real Estate Services.
“We had contract security before, but we beefed it up. We now have five zones. One in each zone, plus a supervisor who wanders back and forth. They are 24/ 7,” Reynolds said.
“Based on the day of the week, the crowds they expect, the vendors may have one or two security guards of their own that will be more like bouncers, for lack of a better term.”
Fleet and Facilities Management also has established a 24- hour hotline for vendors to call in the event of a security issue.
The shocking Riverwalk shooting happened at 2 a. m. on a Sunday last June. Two men, ages 28 and 30, were involved in an argument near Wacker and Dearborn when shots rang out.
The next day, Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said the Riverwalk shooting stemmed from “a dispute about a girl” and happened when the popular attraction was officially closed. The superintendent also said more needed to be done to ensure an 11 p. m. curfew was being rigidly enforced.
Reynolds acknowledged the summer shooting was a wake- up call.
“This is a very important thing for the mayor. It’s a very important thing for the city. It needs to be a place where people feel safe.”
A Riverwalk summer programming preview will run this Friday through Sunday.
It’ll feature what Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Mark Kelly called an “extravaganza of music, art, architecture, fireworks and more.”