After an organized looting attack on the city's Magnificent Mile high-end retailing area earlier this week, Chicago police plan to flood downtown with 1,000 officers this weekend.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown, 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and other officials held a news conference Friday to announce the plan.
Lightfoot said city leadership is united in its effort to stop future looting and outlined five strategies to do so, including the enhanced use of technology and data analytics and implementation of a Social Media Task Force.
She said police would also be able to rapidly deploy resources, ABC7 reports.
"If that means deploying stop-strip to puncture your tire, if you're caravanning cars to loot, we will disable your car to prevent the caravan," Brown said Thursday. "And we will work very hard to do so. If that means deploying tow trucks to impound your cars that are caravanning, CPD will do so."
Brown said CPD and the FBI are combing through video and taking leads from a newly-created looting tip line as he issued a stern warning.
"What I want the looters to learn is how committed we are to not only stopping the looting but, if they escape, working tirelessly to find them, punish them and prosecute them," Brown said.
There are reports that Macy's will soon be closing its store in the Magnificent Mile area and that the looting was a factor in the decision. Some residents are also talking about leaving Downtown Chicago.
