Secret Service, Chicago police canvas neighborhoods ahead of DNC

CHICAGO - People who live and work near United Center and McCormick Place have questions about the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

City employees went to the affected neighborhoods Friday to give them information about how the convention could interrupt their lives.

Representatives from the Secret Service, Chicago police, the Building Department, and the Mayor’s Office called on businesses and residents. The convention is roughly three weeks away and now the security zones are defined and public.

There will be checkpoints, cars will be banned, pedestrians can only walk in certain areas. Buses will be rerouted.
The DNC is a National Special Security Event that will cause traffic jams and delays, with 5,000 delegates, 15,000 media members, 50,000 visitors in town and all eyes on Chicago.

"The objective is to effectively and efficiently communicate our plan and mitigate confusion as we move forward toward the DNC," Secret Service Assistant Special Agent Joel Heffernan said.

"Just because the DNC’s in town, the Chicago Police Department will be in each and every community doing our normal police functions, reaching out to community members there to provide the level of service they deserve," Glenn Brooks, director of CPD Community Policing said.

There is some public housing in the designated zone. Residents there are being offered the Chicago City Key to use as identification if they need it, to move in and out of secure areas.

For more information, go to the Chicago OEMC website.