Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy has ordered officers to provide security at all military recruiting sites in the city, as a precaution, in the wake of the Chattanooga shooting spree.
“The measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution. CPD has been in regular contact with our federal partners and there is no active terror threat or intelligence affecting the city of Chicago and no direct link to the incident occurring in Tennessee,” McCarthy said.
However, he added, that most of the chatter talks about military or police as targets, and says no soldiers will be vulnerable to attacks, under his watch.
According to CBS Chicago, the police officers will be stationed outside every military recruiting center in the city, until further notice. The order comes as security at Armed Forces recruitment sites across the country is being reevaluated.
“Here are these military people, standing, and recruiting, and getting like kind to defend our country, and they’re not defended themselves,” former FBI assistant director Bill Gavin said.
Armed Forces recruiting centers like the one targeted last week are highly visible, often open, and almost always welcome people off the street. They are also often located in shopping malls — all of these things making them especially vulnerable to attack, Gavin said.
In the case of the Chattanooga shootings, the FBI says it was not aware of the gunman being any kind of threat. It appears the suspect acted alone, however, the investigation continues to determine whether he was influenced or motivated in any way by ISIS.
