The new plan comes days after looters raided several businesses in the downtown area on the Magnificent Mile shopping area, causing property theft and extensive damage.
“No one should ever feel like they can break into our businesses, destroy and steal possessions and get away with it,” Lightfoot said at a news conference on Friday.
“I also want the people in particular, who are shaken this week, and the events of the summer, to know that I hear you loud and clear,” she said. “You deserve to feel safe.”
The plan calls for the establishment of a task force of 20 people within the police department to use technology and data analytics to monitor social media for prior reporting of meetings that could become a problem, Lightfoot said.
Five hundred additional camera-borne cameras will also be distributed to police, she said.
The plan also includes “rapid and rough deployment of resources” by officers from affected districts, including the use of street cars and sanitation departments to assist in traffic control, the mayor said.
Part three of the plan calls for geographic lockdowns, blocking and disabling cars and creating “new hardened cityscapes,” such as concrete structures, to restrict movement, she said.
There will also be a rapid response reporting framework to accelerate contact between companies and the Chicago Police Department.
Part four of the plan will seek to strengthen stronger partnerships with businesses and other law enforcement agencies, such as the Illinois State Police and the Sheriff’s Office.
The last part seeks “robust legal action”, including new laws and regulations that are considered to give the CPD greater flexibility.
The Cook County State Attorney’s Office has agreed to ensure that those involved are prosecuted, according to Lightfoot.
Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx, speaking at the same news conference, said her office is pursuing the recent looting and previous incidents.
“If you destroy your property with the intent to take something that does not belong to you, that is a criminal offense,” Foxx said.
Twenty-three criminal charges have already been approved in connection with last weekend’s incident, 28 of which were burglaries or looting, Foxx said.
Of previous looting incidents in May and June, police presented 325 criminal cases to the state’s attorney, she said. She said 300 of those cases were approved for prosecution as criminals.
Twenty cases have been identified to prosecute federal prosecutors, Foxx said, although they did not elaborate on the details of those cases.
Foxx also dealt with gun violence in the city, adding that looting is not the only concern the city has this summer.
From 1-14 August, 237 arms cases were filed. From January to July 2020, 1,872 people were arrested and charged with a felony criminal mischief, Foxx said.
.
