Security heightened across Chicago for busy weekend

FOX 32 NEWS - All the crowded events in Chicago this weekend means a tense few days for police.

Safety officials are ready for upwards of a quarter million people to descend upon the city.

Flapping in the wind all over Boystown is the bright colors of Pride flags ahead of the city's annual Pride Parade. The parade route will snake its way from Broadway and Montrose at noon Sunday before making its way south and ending at Diversey near Cannon Drive.

The Chicago Office of Emergency Management says they're ready, already with a number of security checks in place, including a planned increase in police visibility and increasing the number of signs at pole markers along the parade route to help people quickly identify location information for making emergency calls.

Adding to events of focus for city emergency management personnel is the two-day NHL Draft at the United Center.

“Be cognizant of your surroundings. If you see something, say something,” officials warned.

And those measures continue across the city.

Near Northerly Island, OEMC crews are directing traffic as uniform police officers will assist concert goers. The Windy City Lakeshake -- a three-day country music festival – will also bring enthusiasts from outside the city.
 
And if that isn't enough, the Old Saint Pat's Church on the Near West Side is holding the world's largest block party.

The Office of Emergency Management says this is a weekend they've been planning for for quite some time. They say there are no threats to public safety.