Chicago police to divert officers from neighborhoods to protect movie sets

The Chicago Police Department (CPD) has ordered two commanding officers to divert some police to film and TV production sets instead of the city's neighborhoods.

Chicago's downtown area and surrounding neighborhoods will be impacted by the new diversion efforts, as CPD faces staffing shortages, reported Fox News. Production sets in Chicago are having trouble finding off-duty officers to help with security as violent crime spikes, according to the report.

Area 3, which covers River North, River South, Near North and South Loop neighborhoods downtown, has an increase in all major crime categories, including homicide, aggravated assault, criminal sexual assault, robbery, burglary, and theft. In total, all major violent crime categories have risen 66% since 2021, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

The order came four days after CPD responded to an incident at the set of FX's upcoming Justified revival. "An unidentified offender lit and threw an unidentified object towards the surrounding area of the set" on Monday night, a police statement to People said.

The object did not explode and no injuries were reported, according to CPD.

"The Chicago Police Department works closely with the city's film and television community to provide safety and security for the production crews, as well as the communities in which they film," a CPD spokesperson told Fox News.

Weeks earlier, crews on the same FX production had to pause working when the occupants of two vehicles smashed through the show’s barricades and exchanged gunfire near the set, according to Deadline. No one was injured in the incident, though shell casings were found on the set.

"The Chicago Police Department is committed to ensuring members of the city's vibrant film and television community are able to do their jobs safely," a CPD spokesperson told Deadline in a statement at the time.

"We work in close coordination with the Chicago Film Office, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications to ensure production crews have the resources necessary to feel safe and secure while filming in the city’s neighborhoods."