CHICAGO — The huge crowds expected to attend gay pride parades around the United States in the coming weeks will be greeted by more police officers and ramped-up security measures as a means to protect them in the wake of the mass shooting in a gay nightclub in Florida.
While many federal and local authorities around the U.S. say they have not received information on any credible threats, Houston is investigating a threat that was made against the parade in a tweet. Meanwhile, authorities from Denver to Chicago to New Orleans are tightening security with bag searches, more police officers and private security workers and more crowd-control barriers.
In Chicago, where nearly 1 million people have attended the pride parade in previous years, better security — including 200 additional uniformed and plainclothes officers — will be assigned to this weekend’s PrideFest and next weekend’s parade out of “an abundance of caution,” Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Thursday.
Parade organizers themselves also are providing additional security at the city’s request — hiring 160 off-duty police officers and other security professionals, 70 more than worked the parade last year.