Park Ridge officials are planning for an increased law enforcement presence at the upcoming Taste of Park Ridge festival in light of the mass shooting in Highland Park on July Fourth.
The popular Taste of Park Ridge festival, in its 20th year after a COVID-induced two year break, will kick off Thursday, July 14 and run through Saturday.
Aldermen at the July 5 Park Ridge City Council meeting wanted to know if the Highland Park shooting, which killed seven and injured dozens, would necessitate higher levels of security at the upcoming festival. Many other towns are reconsidering security in the wake of the incident.
Responding to aldermen’s questions, Park Ridge Police Chief Frank Kaminski said the department is operating with a higher level of “situational awareness” following the Highland Park shooting.
“We’re taking it very seriously,” he said.
There will be extra personnel at the festival, and some areas will be sectioned off, he said, adding there will also be more rigorous security at the entrances to the event, he said.
Department spokesperson and executive officer Tom Gadomski confirmed that the large, white “skywatch tower” which appeared at the July 3rd fireworks display at Maine East High School will be in use again.
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The tower, which the city uses on loan from Cook County Homeland Security, he said, allows law enforcement to survey large events from a better vantage point.
Kaminski acknowledged that while Park Ridge police will boost their presence for the festival, they can’t eliminate every trace of uncertainty surrounding the event.
“I wish I had a crystal ball, like everybody else,” he said.
Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce President Jackie Mathews added that security is always a priority at the festival – whether it’s a public health problem or concerns about gun violence.
“Safety is a big umbrella, and that’s why the last two years we made the decision that this wasn’t the safest environment for a very different reason,” she said, referring to the pandemic that shut down Taste of Park Ridge in 2020 and 2021.
Even before tragedy unfolded in Highland Park, Mathews said festival organizers had been collaborating on a security plan with Park Ridge police. She said she has “full confidence” in the department.
“We want to create a fun and wonderful and successful event for our community,” she said.
Gadomski said the department always staffs the events and there are safety protocols involved in every festival.
“Now obviously the Highland Park situation is on everybody’s mind and we want to give an extra piece of reassurance to everybody attending,” he said. “You’ll see a large contingency of officers.”
Gadomski added festival-goers who are concerned about the event should know the department is doing its best to be responsive to the circumstances.
“We certainly want them to know [Highland Park is] on all our minds and is the reason the police department is stepping up their presence at the event and taking additional measures to make sure the event is safe,” he said.