Chicago Police Officers (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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CHICAGO (CBS) — A published report says between 100 and 200 Chicago Police officers will be off the streets Saturday to provide security for the wedding of top White House adviser Valerie Jarrett.
As WBBM Newsradio’s Dave Berner reports, the First Family – President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters, Malia and Sasha – are scheduled to arrive in Chicago Friday night to attend the wedding of Laura Jarrett.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Dave Berner reports
The wedding will be held in a tent in a backyard in the Kenwood neighborhood.
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed reported Friday that 100 to 200 police officers will be assigned to “secure the perimeter” around the wedding.
The report comes in the wake of a spike in violence in Chicago – including a rash of shootings last weekend that killed nine people and wounded 53, and three headline-grabbing mob attacks on innocent people downtown and in River North and Streeterville.
The festivities at the wedding will also include gatherings at the First Family’s own home nearby, and a backyard barbecue at the home of neighbor Allison Davis, Sneed reported.
Sneed reports the officers will be pulled from all the city’s police districts, and that the federal government will not be reimbursing the city for the cost.
The reported ramp-up of police power in President Obama’s neighborhood drew concerns from some quarters.
“How is it that we have a lower amount of police representation, but then the president is in town and there is a police officer for almost every guest that’s going to be attending this wedding?” Cesar Rolon, of the Puerto Rican Parade and Festival, said during a Friday news conference.
In an interview with CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine, McCarthy said his department is deploying officers where they are needed.
“There are locations throughout this city where, based on crime trends, we put our officers there,” he said Friday.
Sneed points out that this weekend, the highs are expected to top out in the 90s – a condition that often leads to more spikes in violence.
