Security will be upgraded for this year’s Lollapalooza, which begins Thursday at Grant Park. The enhancements, which will include bag restrictions, more cops, and screenings similar to airports, come in the wake of October’s deadly mass shooting during a Las Vegas outdoor concert. The shooter in that tragedy also had booked a hotel room overlooking last year’s four-day music festival in Chicago.
Police Supt. Eddie Johnson told the Chicago Tribune that extra officers would be working overtime to cover this year’s Lollapalooza. No threats, however, have been made regarding the event.
According to Rich Guidice, the first deputy for Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, an increased police presence will patrol Michigan Avenue beyond Grant Park’s festival grounds, including nearby hotels and parking garages, the Tribune reports. SWAT snipers will be employed during the festival, and officers working the event, uniformed and undercover, have received active shooter training, the report added.
Chicago police won’t simply have an added physical presence. Officers also will be monitoring social media and other online outlets for any threats to the event or musical acts.
