Chicago police and Water Tower Place security officers will be conducting an active shooter drill at the landmark Mag Mile shopping mall on Tuesday morning, according to an email from local Alderman Brian Hopkins (2nd).
The practice exercise will get underway at 6 a.m.
Signs will be posted on streets near the mall at 835 North Michigan to inform residents and passers-by that the activity is only a drill, Hopkins said. Additional police officers will also be posted in the area to put people at ease.
Drill activities will take place inside and outside the mall, Hopkins said tonight.
But any onlookers hoping for some free entertainment may be disappointed.
Hopkins said the outdoor activity will not be “readily observable.” And he’s “strongly discouraging” curiosity seekers from making their way to the mall. “A safety perimeter will be enforced during the exercise,” he added.
Co-ordinators and training officers may “re-direct and adjust the activity as the training progresses,” Hopkins said. “Drill participants do not always know exactly how the event will unfold, thus adding an element of realism to the simulation.”
