Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration "demanded Thursday that the Cubs upgrade security around Wrigley Field in the wake of terrorist attacks in Europe that have intensified the team’s longstanding demand for game-day street closings," according to Fran Spielman of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. The administration "outlined six security measures that require the team’s 'prompt attention.'" The team must notify the Chicago Police Department of "any serious injury that occurs on Cubs property." The team must also fully fund the "design and construction of a city-approved plan to widen the sidewalk along Addison along the ballpark between Sheffield and Clark by 'up to four feet to facilitate the installation of security barriers.'" The Cubs will have to develop a "'comprehensive security and crowd management plan' for the new open-air plaza adjacent to Wrigley Field that has become a big attraction for Cubs fans." Wrigley Field's cameras will have to be fully integrated "into the city network of 29,000 public and private cameras." The team must upgrade the "public safety radio communications in the on-site Joint Operations Center at Wrigley," and also must outfit off-duty police officers who "moonlight as security officers for the Cubs." However, a team source said that if City Hall was "truly concerned about security around Wrigley, the concerns would first have been raised with the Cubs -- not to the media." The mayor’s letter has the effect of "putting the team on the defensive." It accuses the Ricketts family, who own the Cubs, of "spending hundreds of millions to renovate Wrigley and develop the land around it," but "not spending enough on security around the ballpark" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/9).
LAYERS TO THE STORY: In Chicago, John Byrne writes the "latest salvo in the public feud between the team and the city over security comes as the Cubs are trying to showcase plans for new high-end clubs they are planning to build for season ticket holders." The team and the city have been "publicly at odds over the security strategy, with the Cubs calling for Clark and Addison to be closed on game days" and Emanuel and Alderman Tom Tunney "opposing that move on the grounds it would further snarl the already ugly traffic in the area" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/9). In Chicago, Greg Hinz wrote it "seems pretty clear that the dispute over whether or not to shut Addison and Clark on game days is at the center of the dispute" (CRAINSCHICAGO.com, 6/8).
