Interim CPD Supt. Fred Waller spent Friday afternoon walking the streets of the city’s Northhalsted neighborhood, meeting with residents and business owners while assuring them that his department will be prepared for what many expect to be a busy Pride weekend.
“We are going to have additional officers deployed to staff the parade route and we are going to have our most experienced officers working throughout the night after the parade,” Fred Waller said after a meeting with many of the businesses who count on big crowds during this annual celebration of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community.
But this year, following a wave of anti-gay sentiment in other parts of the country, Chicago will be lining the parade route with uniformed officers and others dressed in plain clothes.
Waller said he is cancelling Sunday days off for most officers and is planning to schedule some of his most experienced cops to work the night shifts this weekend, especially after the parade.
Last year, the department faced unruly crowds in the overnight hours after the parade, something it hopes to avoid this year.
Newly-elected 44th Ward Ald. Bennett Lawson said he has been working closely with the department and the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications to make sure Northhalsted has a well-run Pride Parade this year.
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“We make tweaks and changes every year based on feedback from the previous year,” Lawson said.
The extra officers and increased focus are welcome by Sidetrack Bar owner Bard Balof.
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“I am very grateful and thankful that here in Chicago we have a very strong police force that stands behind us,” Balof said.
