As Memorial Day weekend draws to a close, Chicago police are adding a new summer mobile unit to respond to incidents throughout the city.
That unit will feature 100 officers, and has been deployed on what historically is the most violent night of the long weekend.
The unit is designed to provide support for any district that needs help, according to the department. Its first deployment came as it went to North Avenue Beach, as officers looked to control crowds of beach-goers looking for relief from the summer heat.
“There are miles and miles of this lakefront property between the bike paths and park district property,” Deputy Chief Al Nagode said. “It’s all open to the public, and obviously that creates some challenges.”
Some beaches reached capacity, leading to parking lot closures.
“We just can’t get our ambulances and CFD resources in here to respond when someone needed help,” Nagode said.
Police are also deploying more bike patrols for quicker response times, and are randomly checking bags of beach-goers for alcohol.
Local
At least seven people have been killed and 27 others have been wounded, but police say that they’ve taken 119 weapons off the streets.
