Public security

Vegas attack, terror threat put Chicago on 'Summer Defensive'

The FBI task force that runs counter-terrorism operations in Chicago will now also handle a new, and threatening, menace to urban centers: mass shootings.

More than 100 law enforcement officers including federal agents, Chicago police and Illinois state troopers assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force have taken on the new "Summer Defensive" role in time for the customary start of the season next Friday with the Memorial Day weekend.

The task force will mobilize officers, assets and intelligence to protect concert-goers, festival fans and tourists who will flock to Chicago during the next few months.

What happened last fall in Las Vegas is a driving force behind the Chicago summertime protection plan.

On Sunday, October 1, 2017, the nation's worst ever mass shooting took place on the famous Las Vegas Strip. Stephen Paddock, 64, opened fire on a country music concert from a 32nd floor hotel window. Paddock managed to squeeze off more than 1,100 rounds during his sniper attack.