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The 9 best crime tours of Chicago

Explore the seedy underbelly of Chicago on these fascinating crime tours

Chicago is well known for its towering architecture, amazing restaurants  and beautiful beaches , but the city also has a notorious history of Prohibition-era organized crime and violence. Some of Chicago’s most beautiful streets have dark pasts, and you can explore the oftentimes grisly history on a Chicago crime tour. Guides unearth the city’s darkest stories, and some of them even make stops at local restaurants and bars to help set the scene. While the tours may be a bit eerie, some can be experienced on your own schedule, whether in-person or virtually. Experience Chicago's history hidden in plain sight on the best Chicago crime tours.

RECOMMENDED: Check out the full guide to the best Chicago tours

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Best Chicago crime tours

1.  Chicago crime and mob tour

Follow in the footsteps of infamous gangsters like charming bank robber John Dillinger and Polish mobster Hymie Weiss on this bus tour. You’ll hear stories about the who’s who of Chicago organized crime, drive by a few murder locations and spot the historic courthouse where many criminals were thrown in the clink. 

Time Out tip:  Brush up on your crime knowledge for the post-tour quiz. 

2.  Untouchable Tours' original gangster tour

For more than 30 years, Untouchable Tours has been driving tourists back and forth across the city to see Chicago's more unconventional sights, including the staircase in front of a church that’s covering up bullet holes, and the empty lot where the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre took place. The two-hour tour features guides that take on the persona (and snappy garb) of ’20s gangsters. Guides tell the tales of prohibition-era Chicago and what it was like when gangsters like Al Capone, Bugs Moran and Hymie Weiss walked the streets.

Time Out tip:  One to book in advance for. 

3.  Gangsters and ghosts tour in Chicago

The towering skyscrapers and shining facade of Cloud Gate might make the Loop seem glitzy and glamorous, but it was once a hotspot for vice. In the ’20s and ’30s, this nabe was the epicenter of bootlegging and gangbanging in Chicago. Take a walking tour through the area to spy speakeasies, secret underground tunnels and maybe even a ghost or two.

Time Out tip: The meeting point is just outside the Wyndham Hotel – take that as our accommodation suggestion. 

4.  Vice, crime and gangsters in Chicago: A self-guided audio tour

There are endless upsides to taking tours of a city, but there are downsides as well—most notably, not being able to explore at your own pace. That’s not the case with the self-guided Vice, Crime and Gangsters in Chicago tour. The 31-stop audio tour starts at the Dusable Bridge and winds its way through notorious locations in the Loop and River North, including Chicago’s first vice district and the site of the Lager Beer Riot. It’s narrated by professor, urban historian and former journalist Richard Junger.

Time Out tip:  If you want to get familiar with your guide before the tour, have a skim-read of the books he's written on Chicago history. 

5.  Chicago night crimes tour

See the sites of grisly killings under the dark of night on this evening bus tour. You’ll visit the Biograph Theater where Dillinger met his end, the site of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and other infamous locations. The bus even stops at a few historic watering holes like Harry Caray's so you can raise a glass to the city's dearly departed criminals.

Time Out tip: Don't worry about trying to snap pics from the window of the bus – photo stops will be granted. 

6.  Lincoln Park hauntings ghost investigation tour

On the surface, ghost tours and crime tours are two separate entities. But how does one become a ghost? Death. And how does someone’s death become notable enough to end up on a tour? It’s got to have some sort of criminal element, right? This ghost investigation tour is led by a paranormal investigator who takes guests through some of the eeriest locales in Lincoln Park, including the site of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. It also offers an opportunity to use paranormal activity-detecting equipment to help you determine if you just saw a ghost or a very exhausted DePaul student.

Time Out tip:  Keep your eyes peeled for the Victorian woman in white at Lincoln Park Zoo. 

7.  Private Al Capone gangster tour

Al Capone’s trademark look – thick eyebrows, jaunty hat, heavy overcoat and a cigar hanging from his lips – became the basis of the stereotype of the mafia man. Capone got his start in New York as a member of the Five Points Gang before founding the Chicago Outfit and wreaking havoc on the Midwestern city. Follow in his nefarious footsteps on this tour around the city in a private town car – in true mafioso style.

Time Out tip: Get a team of five together to get the best value group ticket. 

8.  Private Chicago Mafia and Blues Evening Tour

After a long night of making dirty deals and plotting the downfall of their enemies, Chicago mobsters used to unwind with some booze and live music at a mafia-friendly bar. You’ll do the same on this private guided tour that hits several historic landmarks before stopping for a drink at a bar formerly owned by Capone himself.

Time Out tip:  Plan this tour around a big night out, as it's a great way to get the party started before hitting the town when everyone's parted ways. 

9.  The Devil in the White City Tour

In addition to a thriving mob community, Chicago was also home to one of the country’s first known serial killers: H. H. Holmes. The insurance scammer and con man lured hundreds of people to the three-story hotel that would later be known as the Murder Castle: a labyrinth of trap doors, peepholes, dead-end stairways, gas chambers and crematorium that he used to murder his victims and dispose of their remains. To this day, authorities still don’t know how many people he might have killed. Learn the disturbing facts of the case on a Weird Chicago walking and bus tour.

Time Out tip: There's a restroom on board – always a win. 

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Chicago Crime Tours and Experiences

Review Highlights

“ Ben was our tour guide and he shared really great perspective to the dark history that transpired in that city. ” in 47 reviews

“ Mike , the tour guide was very entertaining, and Tommy our driver, did an excellent job keeping us safe on our ride. ” in 53 reviews

“ Jade was very knowledgeable and even debunked some myths about the shootout at Holy Name Cathedral . ” in 10 reviews

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163 E Pearson St

Chicago, IL 60611

Seneca St & Michigan Ave

Streeterville, Near North Side

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Escape into Chicago's underworld on a crime and mob tour with Chicago Crime Tours. Some of the world's most famous criminals, mobsters and gangsters bamboozled their way through Chicago. Sit comfortably on a climate controlled bus and enjoy sightseeing over 100 years of famous Chicago crime scenes. Investigate Al Capone, The Untouchables, The Chicago Mob, John Dillinger, H.H. Holmes, George Streeter, The Chicago Black Sox, Leopold & Loeb, and more. See the site of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, one of Chicago's most notorious murder scenes. Stakeout crime scenes like the Biograph Theatre, Holy Name Cathedral and other Chicago landmarks. Grab your camera for a drive-by shooting of the historic criminal courthouse, a Chicago architectural landmark where some of Chicago's most notorious cases were tried. …

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328 reviews

We had a great time! Super comfortable with AC and Mike was a very funny and well researched tour guide. We learned a lot about Chicago's criminal history and had a great time. Tour was good for our 12 year old also.

See all photos from Daniel M. for Chicago Crime Tours and Experiences

This was a fun and informative way to learn more about Chicago's crime history. Some locations are still there, some have been repurposed over time, but our tour guide did a great job constantly providing information with good jokes thrown in there. There are a few times you can get off the bus, so it makes it a little more interactive. One of the stops has a bathroom! So that's nice. We did learn about John Dillinger, Al Capote, of course, but we learned about some lesser known figures. It was about an hour/hour and a half, but the time flew by enjoyably. For a tourist, this was a great activity to do. Only main complaint is you have to pointlessly download an app to get the tickets, but we were just asked our names when we arrived. I would have much preferred just a PDF or confirmation number and not an entirely unnecessary phone space waste.

The tour guide was very nice and informative. The tour was handled well. There were a lot of stops on the tour but most of the sites were no longer there. The side of the Valentines Day massacre was an open lot. Most of the sites were gone. The only site still there was the theatre where Dillinger was caught and killed. Knowing what I know now. I probably would have skipped this tour.

I was not expecting much from this tour, but it was fantastic. John was our tour guide and he did a great job. He said he has been doing this for 10 years. His knowledge was vast and he was able to answer people's questions. We learned about Chicago and of course, the criminals and crime. It was an interesting dive into the local history. We arrived about 20 minutes early for a 2pm tour and there was about 9 people already waiting. There is no place to use the restroom until you go into Water Tower Place, so I advise using it before the tour, which is also stated on the website. Our tour guide showed up at 1:50 and checked us in. The bus didn't arrive until 2 and had to unload the previous tour. My husband and I sat in the middle of the bus, four rows in. We could hear our tour guide relatively well but his mic cut out a few times here and there. Our bus was mostly full. There were 2 empty seats. The AC on the bus was not good and it was a warm bus ride overall. Temps outside were around 80. I was able to use the restroom at Harry Caray's Steakhouse, which is one of the stops towards the end of the tour. You are able to tip via cash in a bucket or venmo with a QR code. I highly recommend this tour!

I experienced this Chicago Crime Tour on my birthday last week - it was a very cool and unique experience. You will learn some basic Chicago crime history and visit a few notorious, historical locations via a comfortable tour bus and learn about some of our Chicago's most infamous criminals - Dillinger, Nitti, Al Capone (of course) and more. The tour lasts about 90 minutes with about 3-4 stops along the way, people who enjoy taking pictures and history will love it. Highly recommended.

See all photos from Frank L. for Chicago Crime Tours and Experiences

Today I went to this tour .Thanks to our lovely tour guide Maddy everything was very fun and entertaining.The way she told us the stories about the most famous gangsters of Chicago was unique. Definitely recommend her and this tour

We came to Chicago a day earlier than our sons' sports tournament required, and lucky us...a full blown storm comes in and practically shuts down the city. No wandering around. No good views to see from any of the tall skyscrapers. So rather than be stuck in our hotel room, we contacted them, and lo and behold, they were running. There were only a few of us on the bus, but they drove the full route. We did get off on the two designated spots, and the guide adjusted the "spiel" to make it faster in the rain and cold. The guide, Jay, was funny, informative, and friendly. The driver knew what he was doing even in those crazy conditions. The one negative is that due to the bad weather outside, the windows kept steaming up, so we had limited visibility as we drove and had to keep wiping them. That had nothing to do with them. And we felt like we got to see the city and learn fun and interesting facts on a day we would not have had many options. Even my two teenage sons enjoyed it. Highly recommend. A little history. A lot of mafia. A little city tour.

See all photos from Liz A. for Chicago Crime Tours and Experiences

We booked the Night Crimes tour. The tour guide was a fantastic story teller! He kept us all engaged as we drove from one stop to another. The tour included a bit of Chicago history, as well as some of the famous and not so famous crimes and criminals that lived/occurred here. We were allowed to get out and take pictures at certain locations. The tour ended with a slice of Chicago deep dish pizza!

Found this option on Yelp. Had a morning of free time while in Chicago so jumped on this tour. Almost 2 hours of great Chicago info from our guide Javier. Dillinger, Capone and more.

Had a great time learned lots of Chicago's crime history. Alicia was a great tour guide! Definitely recommend 10/10

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Escape into Chicago’s underworld on a crime and mob tour with Chicago Crime Tours. Some of the world’s most famous criminals, mobsters and gangsters bamboozled their way through Chicago. Sit comfortably on a climate controlled bus and enjoy sightseeing famous Chicago crime scenes from the 19th century through modern times. Investigate Al Capone, The Untouchables, The Chicago Mob, John Dillinger, H.H. Holmes, George Streeter, Leopold & Loeb, and more. See the site of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, one of Chicago’s most notorious murder scenes. Stakeout crime scenes like the Biograph Theatre, Holy Name Cathedral and other Chicago landmarks. Grab your camera for a drive-by shooting of the historic criminal courthouse, a Chicago architectural landmark where some of Chicago’s most notorious cases were tried. Escape into the criminal past of Chicago’s River North, Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Old Town, Loop and Magnificent Mile neighborhoods. Get off the bus and explore where Chicago gangsters John Dillinger and Hymie Weiss stood just before their deaths.

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Chicago Crime Tours and Experiences - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

The 11 Best Crime Tours in Chicago

Chicago is one of the best cities in the US for people who love dark history. But, at the same time, Chicago is known for its music scene, stunning art deco architecture, delicious deep-dish pizza and the bean! 

However, Chicago is also known for its dark past during the prohibition and is tied to some of the most infamous mobsters and gangsters, including Al Capone and John Dillinger.

Head out on the town and take one go on a Chicago Mob Tour to learn all the seedy details about Chicago’s Prohibition era. Then, visit some of Chicago’s most iconic areas that Chicago’s gangsters frequented during the roaring ‘20s by taking one of the best crime tours in Chicago.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Please see my  Privacy Policy  for more information.

Gangsters and Ghosts Tour in Chicago

Step back in time by following a historian tour guide on the Gangsters and Ghosts Tour in Chicago . The tour takes you back to the 1920s when the Chicago Loop was the hangout of the infamous gangster Al Capone.

During the prohibition, The Loop was the breeding ground for criminal activities, including illegal speakeasy saloons, secret underground tunnels, bootleggers and the headquarters for gangsters.

The Chicago gangster tour will take you to sites that gangsters frequented, including the Congress Hotel, Millennium Park, Death Alley, and the Palmer House, Chicago’s oldest hotel rumoured to be haunted.

The tour is one of the best Crime tours in Chicago, as it has a great mix of Gangsters and ghosts, so it is perfect for people who love both. I took the tour with tour guide Alan, and he was incredibly engaging and enthusiastic.

This tour is perfect for locals and visitors to Chicago. You will leave learning something new! I highly recommend taking this tour if you want to learn more about Chicago’s dark history and all about Chicago’s prohibition era.

Book here: Gangsters and Ghosts Tour in Chicago

Chicago Crime and Mob Bus Tour

The Chicago Crime and Mob Tour carts you around areas frequented by Chicago mobsters like Al Capone, The Untouchables, Hymie Weiss, and John Dillinger.

The Chicago mob tour visits the Holy Name Cathedral, Biography Theatre, and the site where the Bloody St. Valentine’s Day Massacre occurred. If you are interested in Chicago’s mob history, this is the tour for you as you will hear thrilling stories about gangsters, violence and crime as you are taken around Chicago.

This tour is one of Chicago’s best Mafia and prohibition tours as it visits Frank Nitti’s vault hideout. In addition, you will visit a mob museum and historic bootlegging tunnels, where you will see safes used by mobsters in the 1920s.

Book here: Chicago Crime and Mob Bus Tour

Chicago: Gangsters and Ghosts 2-Hour Walking Tour

The Chicago: Gangsters and Ghosts 2-Hour Walking tour is a history-based Chicago gangster tour that is perfect for people who love all things spooky! The tour is all about ghosts, gangsters and their perspective of Chicago.

This tour takes you through the Chicago Riverwalk, The Chicago Theatre, Palmer House, Cloud Gate, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Congress Plaza Hotel & Convention Center. You will hear tales of Chicago’s dark history at each stop from a historian guide.

You will find out how Al Capone ran his empire and learn about all of the crazy happenings that occurred at Al Capone’s headquarters. In addition, you will visit all of the haunted places in Chicago and hear about the ghosts that still haunt each site.

This is a family-friendly tour, and the tour guides are fun, enthusiastic and ensure the tour is exciting and unforgettable!

Book here: Chicago: Gangsters and Ghosts 2-Hour Walking Tour

Chicago Night Crimes Bus Tour

Explore the dark side of the windy city by taking the Chicago Night Crimes Bus Tour . The Chicago mob tour explores the lives of monsters and gangsters such as Frank Nitti, Bugs Moran and Al Capone. The tour has a great pace as you are taken around Chicago’s gangster-related locations.

The tour visits local pubs like the Burwood Tap and Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse. The Chicago Night Crimes Bus Tour passes by places like Water Tower Place, North Avenue Beach, Lincoln Park, Biograph Theatre, Oz Park, Marina City, and Holy Name Cathedral. You will visit some of the sites where the most infamous criminal acts took place back during the prohibition.

What makes this one of the Best Gangster Tours in Chicago? You get to relax on a warm bus heading to the following location, which is perfect on those cold Chicago nights. 

Book here: Chicago Night Crimes Bus Tour

Untouchable Tours Chicago’s Original Gangster Tour

Take a minibus back in time on the Orginal Gangster Tour to Chicago in the 1920s by visiting the hangouts of mobsters like Moran, Dillinger and Capone. 

You will hear all about the details of their haunts at sites like the Biograph Theater, Holy Name Cathedral, and St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. The tour takes you to about 10 locations connected to Chicago’s most infamous gangsters.

This tour is loads of fun and definitely one of the best Crime tours in Chicago because you will hear lots of history and comedy from a costumed guide. 

The Untouchable Tours Chicago’s Original Gangster Tour is excellent for older kids and adults. The guides are absolutely fantastic and super engaging.

If you are looking for a small group sized Chicago gangster tour, this is the crime tour for you as they have a max of 8 travellers!

Book here: Untouchable Tours Chicago’s Original Gangster Tour

1920s Chicago Walking Tour: Art Deco, Flappers, Gangsters, and Prohibition

Step back to the roaring 20s on the 1920s Chicago Walking Tour and see some of Chicago’s gorgeous hidden gems. You will explore all of the Art Deco architecture that lines the city now and shows you how glitzy and glamorous Chicago was during the prohibition.

The walking tour explores the exteriors and interiors of buildings that were once the hotspots for flappers, jazz musicians, speakeasies and the notorious gangsters who would spend time in each location.

You will also visit an old gangster headquarters where you will see photos, newspaper clippings and a vault that Al Capone and other gangsters used. You will also visit “The Loop,” which is in downtown Chicago and the site of Chicago’s spectacular art deco buildings.

Book here: 1920s Chicago Walking Tour: Art Deco, Flappers, Gangsters, and Prohibition

Vice, Crime and Gangsters in Chicago: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

Do you want to go on all of the Crime tours in Chicago but don’t want to spend time with other people? Same. You can do that by taking the Vice, Crime and Gangsters in Chicago Self-Guided Audio Tour !

The self-guided tour takes you to sites like the DuSable Bridge, Chicago River, Franklin-Orleans Street Bridge, Chicago Riverwalk, and Wrigley Building. 

In addition, you can take your time exploring Chicago’s local haunts of the prohibition era’s infamous gangsters. If you want to do the whole tour in real-time, it will take at least 75 minutes.

The audio tour provides you with tales of Chicago’s dark history and the opium trade with the sweet sounds of urban historian Richard Junger’s voice.

Book here: Vice, Crime and Gangsters in Chicago: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

Lincoln Park Hauntings Ghost Investigation Tour

Do you love ghost tours but want to dig a little bit deeper? Spend the evening with a paranormal investigator looking for all the ghosts haunting Chicago’s dark streets on the Lincoln Park Hauntings Ghost Investigation Tour .

You will visit the old City Cemetery, Couch Tomb and Lincoln Park, where you will hear about the history of the Great Fire of 1871 and more.

This is the perfect tour for people who want to go on one of the Crime tours in Chicago but want a paranormal twist. Plus, you will get the chance to use paranormal equipment and try to contact the spirits yourself!

Tour guide Tony is phenomenal and will go into great detail about all things Chicago during the prohibition and beyond.

Book here: Lincoln Park Hauntings Ghost Investigation Tour

Sin and Suds Chicago Beer Tour

Do you want to spend a few hours exploring Chicago on a gangster-themed beer tour? Then, head out on the town with the Sins and Suds Chicago Beer Tour . 

You will visit Chicago’s Loop and South Loop neighbourhoods sipping on the best beer and pizza Chicago offers while hearing the tales of the mafia scene of the 1920s.

You will visit up to four local bars, and samples of beer and pizza are included in the tour price. If you want a bit more to drink, be sure to bring some cash with you.

Book here: Sin and Suds Chicago Beer Tour

The Devil in the White City: A Haunting History Tour

Do you want to go on more Crime tours in Chicago but want to hear about more than Al Capone? The Devil in the White City explores the history surrounding the legend of the notorious H.H. Holmes.

The tour carts you around Chicago by bus for three hours of the insanity surrounding the 1893 Chicago World Fair. In addition, you will visit sites hit by H.H. Holmes, including Jackson Park, Midway Plaisance Park and the elusive Murder Castle of H.H. Holmes!

If you love Chicago crime tours and have done the rest, I highly recommend this tour.

Book here: The Devil in the White City: A Haunting History Tour

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Chicago Crime Tours

Since the late 1850s, Chicago has been infamous for its gangsters, mobsters and all-around seedy characters. Chicago Crime Tours takes guests past the beautiful series of sprawling parks and world-famous museums, leading them toward a peek at the sordid underbelly of the life of corruption. Learn about notorious gangsters as well as the mobs they were connected to, unsolved murders and even some ghost stories!

Walk in the paths of infamous mobsters such as John Dillinger, Hymie Weiss, Frank “The Enforcer” Nitti and more. The bus tours offered by Chicago Crime Tours allow guests to hear stories of famous crime bosses and ruthless bank robbers, while driving by some the locations of certain murders.

Family friendly tours typically last a couple of hours, and most do not require a great deal of walking.

Types of Chicago Crime Tours

Chicago Crime provides bus tours that speak to the history of organized crime, revealing law-breaking landmarks and crime scenes. The luxury, climate-controlled bus allows for stops where guests can get on and off to experience places where some of the world’s most famous criminals walked. Tour guides tell stories of well-known crime syndicates such as The Untouchables, The Chicago Mob, Al Capone’s group of gangsters and more.

Since experiencing so much crime can make a person hungry, guests may plan to join in on a family-friendly Crime & Pizza Walk that includes slices of Chicago’s famous deep-dish pizza. Or to add just a bit more mystery to the tour, guests may try take in a crime tour night, under the cover of the city lights when dodgy happenings often occur.

What You’ll See on a Chicago Crime Tour

Some Chicago landmarks will reveal crime stories, such as Holy Name Cathedral and the Biograph Theatre, as well as the courthouse where some of the most infamous criminals went on trial.

Crime tours through Chicago wouldn’t be complete without an option to witness areas where crimes occurred in Chicago neighborhoods such as:

• River North
• Lincoln Park
• The Magnificent Mile
• Old Town Chicago

Chicago Crime Tours Services

Chicago Crime Tours provides off-and-on bus tours specifically meant to educate those interested in the way that mobsters, gangsters and other criminals functioned within the Windy City. In addition, the company offers walking tours that include stops at restaurants to enjoy some of Chicago’s most famous deep-dish pizza slices (possibly from Pizzeria Uno and Giordano’s).

Chicago Crime Tours Timing

With several tours throughout each day during the warmer months, Chicago Crime Tours has something for almost anyone—visitor or local. Tours function all year long, but warmer months and weekends bring more options for tour times throughout the day.

Walking tours featuring crime & pizza are scheduled only during warmer months due to weather considerations. These typically run from May to September.

Most tours last between 1 ½ and 2 ½ hours on average, although they may run long depending on traffic situations.

Chicago Crime Tours Considerations

Answers to questions you may have about Chicago Crime Tours:

• Tours typically begin and end outside of 163 E Pearson Street, on the southeast side of Pearson and Michigan Avenue. In front of the Lookingglass Theatre Company
• Tours are family-friendly and recommended for children ages 6 and up.
• Guests should arrive for tours at least ten minutes prior to tour time in order to check in. The bus will depart on time.
• While this is a bus tour, many stops occur where guests will get off of the bus and walk up to a full city block. Tours run rain or shine, so guests should dress appropriately for the weather.
• Daytime Chicago Crime tours last between 1 ½ and 2 hours, with the night time tour lasting up to 2 ½  hours.
• Discounted parking may be available nearby through Spot Hero—guests should check the website.
• Refunds for purchased tickets are not given, but rescheduling a tour may be an option for a small fee.
• Certain tours may be able to accommodate wheelchairs or strollers but guests should call before purchasing tickets as certain stops and buses may require a few steps. No restrooms are available on the bus and guests should make use of facilities before arriving for the tour.
• Alcohol consumption is not permitted during tours.
• Tours are only given in English.
• Photographs are permitted but video/audio recordings are not.

Book a Chicago Crime Tour

Tickets for Chicago Crime Tours must be purchased in advance online. Tours often sell out. Booking is easy online. Online bookings show weekly availability including tour times as well as revealing tours that are already sold out. Pay for your tour in advance with a credit card and receive an email with all of the information you need about where and when tours meet as well as what to expect.

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Chicago Crime Tours

Popular Crime Tours

Chicago Crime Tours has an excellent reputation as a company devoted to giving its guests highly enjoyable tour experiences, as its 3 tours are regularly well-reviewed affairs. The Chicago Crime and Mob tour is the most popular excursion offered by Chicago Crime Tours. During the week, it routinely runs 3 times a day, at 10:00am, 12:00pm, and 2:00pm. On weekends, 2 additional tour slots are frequently available: 4:00pm and 6:00pm. This tour not only features a comfortable bus ride through town during which you’ll listen to your fun and knowledgeable guide provide an entertaining yet informative narrative, but it makes multiple stops where you can get off the bus and explore a series of historic crime scenes firsthand.

Chicago Crime and Mob Tour

The flagship tour available from Chicago Crime Tours, the Chicago Crime and Mob tour is a can’t-miss event for visitors to Chicago interested in learning more about the city’s criminal history. Tickets run around $40 per person, with the tour usually lasting between 1.5 and 2 hours.

Night Crimes Tour

At around 2 to 2.5 hours, the Night Crimes tour is a slightly expanded, evening version of the Chicago Crime and Mob tour. The tour is offered every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 8:00pm, with tickets costing approximately $45 per person.

Crime and Pizza Walk

A walking tour that is available seasonally, the Crime and Pizza tour typically lasts between 1.5 and 2 hours and costs roughly $50. All Crime and Pizza Walk tours start outside the Pizzeria Uno location at 29 East Ohio Street. There you meet your guide and set off on a pleasant stroll that combines Chicago-style pizza slices with stories of the mobsters and gangsters that once frequented Chicago’s River North and Gold Coast neighborhoods. Advance reservations are required for this tour.

Things to Know & Insider Tips

• Any tour ticket you purchase from Chicago Crime Tours does not include any sort of gratuity. It is considered polite, if you enjoy your tour experience, to tip your guide around 20%.
• Depending on availability, it is sometimes possible to purchase Crime and Mob or Night Crimes tour tickets from your guide at the time of departure. However, Chicago Crime Tours strongly recommends making advance reservations, to ensure you are able to book your tour for the time that best suits your schedule.
• The Chicago Crime and Night Crimes tours both depart from the southeast corner of Pearson Street and Michigan Avenue—this is the curb right by the historic Chicago Avenue Pumping Station, directly across the street from Water Tower Place. Parking in this area is quite expensive, so if you can reach this location by walking or taking public transportation, consider doing so.
• In order to facilitate a speedy and orderly check-in process, Chicago Crime Tours asks that you arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled departure time.

Is Chicago Crime Tours the Company for You?

Chicago is famous in many circles for the significant number of high-profile criminals, gangsters, and mobsters who have either called the city home, or once used it as a base for their illegal operations. If you’re intrigued by learning more about this dark side of Chicago’s rich history, then this tour is perfect for you. Keep in mind, of course, that this tour is highly specific. As a result, if you want to explore a wider range of themes and topics during your time in Chicago—as well as experience a greater number of different landmarks and Chicago attractions across this great city—you’ll need to seek out other tour options. However, most visitors to Chicago who decide to take any one of Chicago Crime Tours outings report back that they have a fun, exciting, and unique time.

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Watch CBS News

Secret Service tours Chicago DNC venues; CPD officers to train for unrest

By Megan Hickey

Updated on: June 4, 2024 / 5:25 PM CDT / CBS Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) -- "Make no mistake, we are ready" – that was the message Tuesday from the Chicago Police Department about the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Secret Service director toured key Chicago venues on Tuesday. But the Secret Service is staying tight-lipped about the convention perimeter—and an expert said the agency will not discuss it until absolutely necessary.

The perimeter is a big deal—because it will impact road closures and where people will assemble.

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle did say Tuesday that the agency is looking at a footprint that will have as *minimal an impact as possible on Chicagoans."

Cheatle, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs, said she does not want locals to think they need to flee the city for the Democratic National Convention.

"We've made very sure that the footprint that we have for security is as minimal an impact to residents, businesses, neighborhoods as possible," Cheatle said.

Director Cheatle and Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling spoke to reporters during a break from two days' worth of closed-door tours of the United Center and McCormick Place ahead of the DNC, which is set for Aug. 19-22.

"There's a myriad number of issues to address," said former Orland Park police chief and retired Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy.

McCarthy said one of the important tasks during the Secret Service's current visit will be setting up a central communication center. He said he is not surprised that organizers have been closed-mouthed so far about the exact perimeter of the convention.

"It's good operational security not to put out the perimeter until you absolutely have to," said McCarthy, "so let's not give anyone who might have some bad intentions any more information than they need."

Training for Chicago Police officers also took center stage at the briefing Tuesday morning.

Supt. Snelling said all officers will undergo training—but about 2,500 to 3,000 will be trained to respond directly to civil unrest and the possibility of riots.

"If you're protesting peacefully, and you're not breaking the law, then you have First Amendment protections," Snelling said. "But the minute you start to break the law, you're not protected under the First Amendment at that point."

Snelling estimated another 400 officers from outside agencies will come in to help with security, but CPD officers are the ones who will be trained to specifically handle unrest.

"There is a possibility for vandalism, there is a possibility for violence - and we're prepared to deal with that," Snelling said.

The Secret Service director was asked about the possibility of Russian interference at the DNC. While she said she could comment on specifics, she said such a possibility is one of many scenarios for which her agency and the FBI are planning

• United Center
• United States Secret Service
• Democratic National Convention
• Chicago Police Department

Megan Hickey is a member of the 2 Investigator team, focusing on topical investigative stories.

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Visit Chicago Southland names Mary Patchin as head of tourism bureau

Patchin will succeed jim garrett, who will retire after serving as president and ceo of the bureau since 1996..

Visit Chicago Southland president and CEO Mary Patchin is the first new person in this role since 1996.

Visit Chicago Southland

Visit Chicago Southland on Tuesday announced Mary Patchin as the tourism agency’s president and CEO.

Patchin will lead efforts to promote Chicago’s south and southwest suburbs as a destination for business and leisure travel and events. She previously served as vice president of sales and succeeds Jim Garrett, who will retire this month after serving as president and CEO of the agency since 1996. Patchin will start her role July 1.

Patchin joined Visit Chicago Southland, formerly called the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau, in 1999 as a sales associate. She has boosted sales goals and brought group business such as meetings, sports, group tours and social events to the region, according to the tourism bureau.

Patchin said in a statement that she will focus on the agency’s three-year strategic plan that was created last year. It includes advocating for development in the region and supporting initiatives to spotlight the south and southwest suburbs.

Attractions in the area include Brookfield Zoo, about 30 golf courses, amphitheaters, sports facilities and Ozinga Field, home of minor league baseball team the Windy City ThunderBolts, she said. Patchin also highlighted the Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino, slated to open this fall in East Hazel Crest.

The region is also well-connected to multiple interstate highways and may see progress on the South Suburban Airport in Monee. Gov. J.B. Pritzker last summer signed legislation mandating the state to seek a partner to build the air cargo airport.

Visit Chicago Southland has not lobbied for the airport and said its stance on the project “has always been apolitical/neutral.”

“Over the years, we have used our platform to educate through having advocates for and against to present or discuss to and with our board,” the agency said.

The Illinois Department of Transportation said it had no updates and continues “to evaluate needs and potential uses of the project going forward.”

‘This will not be 1968.’ Chicago police prepare for DNC as whole world watches once again.

It’s not 1968.

But after anti-war, pro-Palestinian demonstrations roiled college campuses this spring and led to clashes between protesters and police, the specter of the chaos surrounding that summer’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago looms as the party returns in August to mark the renomination of President Joe Biden.

To be sure, the landscape is vastly different than it was in the late 1960s, even amid resurgent political violence driven predominantly by the far right. Nevertheless, the influx of potentially tens of thousands of protesters into Chicago during the Aug. 19-22 convention, some of whom have vowed to take to the streets without city permits, raises questions about how prepared Chicago police are for any ensuing unrest.

While similar concerns arose ahead of the last Chicago DNC in 1996 , as well as the NATO summit in 2012 , divisions among the Democratic coalition are deeper this year, with progressives upset over Biden’s ongoing support for Israel in its war against Hamas as well as his recent order clamping down on migrant crossings at the southern border.

Policing has changed substantially over the past several decades, especially for large gatherings such as national political conventions.

Still, with the whole world watching Chicago once again, avoiding any echoes of 1968 — when blue-helmeted officers beat protesting Yippies and working journalists alike in what a government report later termed a “police riot” — will be an important test for a department that remains under a federal consent decree over its long-running “pattern and practice” of civil rights violations.

In the lead-up to this year’s convention, organizers and police officials have downplayed concerns about possible unrest and sought to dispel any comparisons to the events that culminated in the infamous “Battle of Michigan Avenue.”

“This will not be 1968,” said Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling while acknowledging he understands the comparison given national protests of the Israel-Hamas war. “Our response as a Chicago Police Department will be a lot more deliberate … a lot more controlled because our officers are being trained in the best way possible to respond to any level of civil unrest.”

It’s not just the Police Department that has a lot riding on a peaceful convention.

The political stakes are high, both for Biden as he seeks to again defeat former Republican President Donald Trump and for local Democrats who will play prominent roles at the party gathering and in managing the situation outside.

That’s particularly true for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who was pivotal in bringing the convention to Chicago and will use the event to elevate his national profile as a key Biden surrogate and potential future White House contender, as well as Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has perhaps a greater affinity with those planning to protest than with the police under his command who are charged with keeping order.

“If you’re Biden and the Democratic Party and the mayor of Chicago, you just want peace and calm and stability,” said Andrew Baer, a University of Alabama at Birmingham history professor who studies policing and social movements. “You don’t want the bad optics of either suppressing a protest or the protest embarrassing the coronation of Biden.”

Despite changes in both policing practices and the political environment, “there’s clearly a through line from ’68, through the (Cmdr. Jon) Burge era, into the 2000s and up to the present day,” said Baer, author of “Beyond the Usual Beating: The Jon Burge Police Torture Scandal and Social Movements for Police Accountability in Chicago.”

Today, as then, there is a sense among many police of feeling “misunderstood and kind of unnecessarily tampered with” by outside forces, Baer said.

“That degree of always-simmering resentment felt by police rank and file, and the Fraternal Order of Police and the unions, and the supervisors and administrators of the Police Department always makes for a potentially explosive environment, whether it’s at a street arrest or a public protest or national political convention,” he said.

‘2020 snuck up on us’

One need not look all the way back to 1968 to see what can go wrong when hordes of protesters and lines of cops meet in the streets.

Indeed, the training Snelling’s officers have been undergoing ahead of the DNC was spurred not only by Chicago’s selection as the host city but also by the department’s response to widespread civil unrest in 2020.

Officers in Chicago were unprepared for the simultaneous and unpredictable nature of large protests and chaos that erupted over three days after George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer in late May of that year. While the department improved its response to other incidents in the weeks that followed, protests over the city’s Christopher Columbus statues and also high-profile police shootings highlighted similar struggles.

“2020 snuck up on us,” Snelling acknowledged in a recent Chicago Tribune interview. “Let’s tell the cold, hard truth. We did not have the level of preparedness to deal with something that was that random that popped up on us.”

The department is applying lessons learned from the 2020 response in preparation for the DNC, Snelling said.

While CPD took issue with some of the findings in a recent inspector general report on policy and training updates since the 2020 unrest, Snelling said any use of force or pepper spray during the DNC would be “proportional” to the reality on the ground.

“We’re not just going to walk in and spray a crowd of people. Even if they’re breaking the law, if they’re peaceful, we’re not going to use OC (pepper) spray,” Snelling said. “Now, if we have an all-out fight, where people are attacking police officers, are attacking each other, and we need to use OC spray, that call will be made by a higher authority based on the totality of circumstances and what’s occurring in the field in that time.”

The situation on the ground should be much different in August for a number of reasons, not least of which is the major role the U.S. Secret Service will play in controlling the areas surrounding the major convention venues, the United Center and McCormick Place.

Like every major party convention since 2000, this summer’s DNC — along with the Republican National Convention a month earlier in Milwaukee — is designated a National Special Security Event, making the Secret Service the lead agency for security planning. Each convention host city also received $75 million from Congress to help cover equipment and other security costs.

“We’ve got a tremendous working relationship with Chicago police, as well as a multitude of other agencies, both local and federal, that will be contributing to this whole-of-government approach that we’re taking,” Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle told reporters during a visit last week that included tours of the convention venues.

Outside the yet-to-be-finalized security zones around the venues, where most if not all the protests are expected to take place, Chicago police will be running the show, however. The convention will come near the end of what are typically more violent summer months as well as after large-scale events like Lollapalooza and the NASCAR street race.

In an effort to relieve some of the tension building ahead of the DNC, lawyers for the Johnson administration indicated in federal court Thursday they were preparing to offer a deal to protesters who’d sued the city over its alleged efforts to block marches within “sight and sound” of the convention venue.

While private negotiations remain ongoing, the city indicated protesters would be offered a “United Center-adjacent route.”

Regardless of the outcome of those discussions, the city will have to manage the movement of an estimated 50,000 delegates, staff and public officials to and from the convention venues south of downtown and on the West Side, in addition to handling security checkpoints and traffic rerouting to accommodate Biden, who is expected to attend the convention on the final day.

CPD’s task of working with other organizations and maintaining order will come with the city under a national and international spotlight it didn’t have to contend with in 2020, when protests were taking place across the country, said Cara Hendrickson, the former chief of the Illinois attorney general’s public interest division, where she helped negotiate the consent decree.

“The way CPD and other law enforcement agencies respond will be very visible to Chicagoans and the world,” she said. “It’s a very public test of law enforcement’s current ability to keep people safe.”

Trying to assure the public

Despite assurances of readiness from the top brass, one veteran CPD supervisor, speaking on a condition of anonymity for concern of reprisal, gave a blunt assessment of the department’s readiness to tamp down on summer gun violence on top of its DNC responsibilities.

“Our strategy is eight hours ahead, right?” the supervisor told the Tribune in mid-May. “It’s very short-term and there’s no long-term planning to this, but if you ask them then they’ll say there is, but they won’t tell you what.”

In 1968, of course, Mayor Richard J. Daley also sought to assure the public and his fellow Democrats the situation in Chicago would be under control, though he focused more on maintaining order than allowing room for dissenting voices.

That year’s gathering at the International Amphitheatre in the New City neighborhood came amid widespread protests over the Vietnam War, a backlash so strong that President Lyndon Johnson chose not to seek reelection. It also came just months after the assassination of Democratic presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy and violent uprisings that April in Chicago and elsewhere in the wake of the Rev. Martin Luther King’s assassination.

“Leading in, Daley was talking about how he was going to uphold law and order in Chicago,” said Heather Hendershot, a Northwestern University communications professor and author of the recent book “When the News Broke: Chicago 1968 and the Polarizing of America.”

While Daley was “Mr. Democrat,” his rhetoric echoed that of GOP nominee Richard Nixon, whose campaign capitalized on the ensuing disorder in Chicago to win in November, Hendershot said.

“(Daley) sent out this message that, ‘We are prepared to do whatever we have to do to maintain order in Chicago. We will keep our city safe,’ this kind of thing,” she said. “And people knew there was going to be a lot of violence, and it really scared a lot of people away.”

The result was a crowd of only about 10,000 predominantly white protesters during the 1968 DNC, Hendershot said, a group that was outnumbered by police and members of the National Guard.

The protests this year could be substantially larger, Hendershot said, pointing to the more than 100,000 people who protested President George W. Bush and the Iraq War during the 2004 RNC in New York.

Somewhat encouraging, though, is that this year Johnson and police officials are “not releasing a bunch of press releases to scare people or to say, ‘We’re going to have law and order,’” she said. “They will occasionally say something like, ‘We will engage in constitutional policing, which, obviously, is what all policing should be.”

‘Whac-A-Mole’

But what policing should be doesn’t always match reality when officers are confronted with large groups of protesters in unpredictable settings.

The George Floyd protests in 2020 created a no-win for cops, protesters and nearby businesses, according to three separate reports — CPD’s own after-action report, a scathing probe by the city’s inspector general , and a 464-page special report covering the summer’s incidents from the independent monitoring team responsible for tracking the city’s progress in the court-ordered consent decree.

Cops were left vulnerable, exhausted and under-resourced, in part because the department had not prepared for that scale of unrest since 2012, when Chicago hosted the NATO summit.

Officers struggled to control disorganized crowds and distinguish between protesters protected under the First Amendment and those responsible for looting, vandalism or assaulting cops. Many cops were deployed without protective gear, radios or bullhorns to communicate dispersal orders. At times, equipment failed in the field during lengthy shifts. Some cops were left without adequate or timely transportation to transfer arrestees or move other cops to a place to rest, use restrooms, eat or drink.

One officer described the department’s strategy during the George Floyd protests as Whac-A-Mole, with self-guided platoons of officers putting out metaphorical fires while still leaving others smoldering.

Accountability measures lapsed as well. Some officers were unfamiliar with the department’s mass arrest policies, resulting in some arrestees suspected of looting, arson or violence being released or having charges dropped. Some officers also covered or removed their name tags or badges, turned off their body-worn cameras, were deployed without them or had the camera batteries die on them in the field.

The independent monitoring team reported hearing from community members that “officers were verbally abusive toward them; pushed and shoved them; tackled them to the ground; pushed them down stairs; pulled their hair; struck them with batons, fists, or other nearby objects; hit them after they were ‘kettled’ with nowhere to go or after being handcuffed; and sprayed them with pepper spray (OC spray) without reason.”

Misconduct settlements stemming from the protests have been costly for taxpayers.

On top of tens of millions spent on overtime and damage to local businesses , a WTTW analysis found the city had paid $5.6 for settlements and attorney fees. As of April, 32 lawsuits related to officer misconduct had been paid out. Thirteen were pending in federal court.

Following 2020, CPD has been “training, working, preparing, revising orders,” and working with parties involved in the consent decree to update mass arrest and use of force policies, Snelling said. The department is also working to ensure officers “get as much time off as possible” in the weeks leading up to the DNC to ensure “we have the maximum manpower that we can have out there” while not pulling officers from the city’s most violent neighborhood beats.

Command staff members have been through “multiple days of training for field force operations” to know how to guide manpower. The department has set aside 1,370 “flex” body cameras across several area offices, purchased 40 passenger vans, and additional radios to distribute to each police district.

Lessons of 2020

Even so, the city’s inspector general recently highlighted shortcomings in those plans , including opaque written policies about the use of pepper spray and kettling, which is the act of corralling crowds into a closed space. The city’s crowd-control policies also contain “outdated” theories that assume bad actors are present and that people in mass gatherings are inclined to act like a mob, the IG said.

Snelling denied the department used kettling tactics but nonetheless said the lessons of 2020 are being applied to this summer’s preparations.

DNC training has already been tested at protests, including at several college campuses across the city, Snelling said, noting that most “ended with no violence.”

“Even in situations where we’ve had to make arrests, we gave these people multiple, multiple opportunities to voluntarily comply and leave,” Snelling said. “Only as a last resort we made arrests.”

CPD on Thursday invited members of the press to McCormick Place to observe about 150 officers take part in training exercises tailored for the expected protests and potential unrest during the DNC. Drills focused on defensive tactics, crowd control and medical aid, as well as officer wellness.

Snelling said the department also will use a “line relief” tactic to provide cops reprieves when needed.

“These are human beings who are standing out here, having insults hurled at them, probably things thrown at them,” Snelling said Thursday. “At some point, the human nature kicks in and the possibility or the likelihood of making a mistake becomes greater. This is why now we have that line relief where we can take those officers off the front line and bring in a fresh batch of officers who can deal with the situation.”

Given the possibility of mass arrests, officers also are receiving training on properly processing suspects taken into custody in potentially volatile situations.

Will there be mass arrests?

But some planning to protest the convention are taking issue with comments Snelling made at a separate media briefing earlier last week.

“First Amendment protection is only there if you’re not committing a crime,” Snelling said. “You can be acting out peacefully and still breaking the law.”

Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, said after a court hearing Thursday that Snelling’s words were “very concerning.”

“This sounds like nothing more than a threat from a police department that has a history of violence against protesters,” said Abudayyeh, whose group is one of the organizations suing the city over its previous plans to keep protesters away from the main convention sites.

Civil liberties advocates also have taken issue with the department’s latest policy on mass arrests. In April, a coalition of the community groups that triggered the consent decree asked the judge overseeing the agreement to block the Police Department from implementing the mass arrest policy drafted earlier this year.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and other groups argue the new proposal is overly broad, fails to make proper accommodations for people with disabilities and non-English speakers, and marks a step back from a First Amendment policy negotiated after the “violent and unconstitutional response” to the 2020 protests, according to the filing.

The groups are asking Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer to intervene swiftly because “CPD officers are already being trained on the infirm policy for the DNC.”

Meanwhile, Hendrickson, now the executive director of the public interest group Impact for Equity, notes that police leaders will have the complex task of not only coordinating with other city departments but other law enforcement entities.

CPD “is going to be called upon to make difficult judgment calls rapidly, in real time, over the course of many days or weeks. And understanding who has responsibility for making those decisions, who is the backup to the person who has the responsibility to make those decisions if they’re not available. … I don’t know the answers to those questions at this point,” Hendrickson said.

Snelling said plans are still being worked out for the role outside agencies — the National Guard, the Cook County sheriff’s office, Illinois State Police or other local police departments — would play, but said they would not be charged with managing crowds.

“We want to put them in other areas where they can protect certain venues,” he said. “That frees up Chicago police officers who have been very well trained to go out there and deal with the possibility of civil unrest.”

‘We’re ready’

If the past is precedent, Johnson — an organizer who has said he values demonstrations — would be directly in charge of making major decisions on how to respond to potential unrest.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot made the final call to raise downtown bridges, use pepper spray, enact a citywide curfew and call in the National Guard during the 2020 protests. Johnson has repeatedly said violence or vandalism would not be tolerated, but has emphasized “the fundamental right of our democracy, the First Amendment, is protected.”

Snelling said he is in “constant contact” about preparations with Johnson and his deputy mayor for community safety, Garien Gatewood. Raising bridges and enacting curfews in 2020 were a response to riot activity, not protected First Amendment protests, he said.

“We will not allow people to come here and destroy our city,” Snelling said. “We’re ready. We’re prepared to deal with whatever comes our way. But we would love for everything to end peacefully. Do we expect that that’s going to happen? No. That’s our wish.”

On the political side, Democrats have been quick to voice their support for Chicago police and the larger security effort — and to shift the focus to the GOP convention in Milwaukee, which could attract some of the same right-wing groups that instigated the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The Democratic National Convention Committee declined to make convention chair Minyon Moore available for an interview. But in a statement, convention spokeswoman Emily Soong echoed what organizers have been saying for months in response to questions about protests and possible disruptions:

“Peaceful protest has been a fixture of political conventions for decades, and while Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans stoke political violence, we will continue to support the ongoing security coordination at all levels of government to keep the city safe for delegates, visitors, media, and all Chicagoans, including those exercising their right to make their voices heard.”

For Pritzker, who courted the convention before the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel sparked a war that has divided Democrats, the gathering is a chance to show his mettle on the national stage, said Chris Mooney, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

That will be particularly true in the face of possible mass protests, he said.

“Even though he … didn’t expect this, didn’t think of it when he was lobbying for this (convention), he has earned himself the opportunity to show how excellent he is as a public leader,” Mooney said.

(Chicago Tribune’s Jake Sheridan contributed.)

©2024 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

One Chicago shows present fun tour of the sets: Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. set video shared

The One Chicago shows may be on summer hiatus, but the social media teams are still in action.

A new video called One Chicago Set Tours: Hiatus Edition was shared online.

This is a nice treat for fans who may have difficulties waiting for new episodes to roll out.

Since the shows also had shortened seasons due to the Hollywood strikes, it felt like everything ended abruptly this past spring.

But while we wait for the Fall 2024 schedule to begin at NBC, it’s nice to get a small look behind the curtain.

Set tours shared for Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D.

“Missing our favorite places this One Chicago Wednesday,” reads the quick caption to a new Instagram post.

Soothing music plays in the background as cameras present a look behind the scenes.

The video begins with a look at the Chicago Med set as they walk into the hospital and then show off some key rooms.

It then fades to the Chicago Fire set, where the entry to the vehicle bay is shown, followed by Chief Boden’s former office, the kitchen area, and the living quarters.

The Chicago P.D. set wraps up the video, as viewers see the precinct, Trudy’s desk, Voight’s office, and the rest of the working spots for Intelligence.

While it’s not as good as new episodes, the set video is fun to pass the time during the long hiatus.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by One Chicago (@nbconechicago)

New seasons are coming this fall

As noted above, Med, Fire, and P.D. have been renewed at NBC. New seasons will begin in the fall, with full-season orders slated to air in primetime.

The shows may each go through some changes during the hiatus, especially when it comes to casting.

Med, Fire, and P.D. have each experienced big exits of primary characters during recent seasons. On the season finales, Eamonn Walker ended his run as a series regular (he played Chief Boden), and Tracy Spiridakos retired her character of Detective Hailey Upton.

The Chicago P.D. showrunner also teased that a possible wedding is in store for fans next year.

Chicago Med also has a new showrunner calling the shots , meaning they could take the show in some new directions.

Stay tuned, as more news about the upcoming seasons will likely trickle out as these summer months arrive.

Previous seasons of Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. are streaming on Peacock.

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Transportation | Black Chicago drivers more likely to be stopped…

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Transportation | black chicago drivers more likely to be stopped by police than to get traffic camera tickets, study finds.

The findings, published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, follow years of scrutiny of racial disparities in Chicago traffic stops.

They also come amid renewed debate about the use of the stops, as outgoing Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx unveiled a controversial proposal to decline to prosecute possession cases when guns or drugs are found during traffic stops initiated for reasons like expired registration or a broken light. Officials also recently moved to add oversight of traffic stops to a federal consent decree guiding Chicago Police Department reform.

In the latest study, researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago, Cornell University, Rutgers University and the University of Sydney in Australia analyzed GPS data from cellphones and 2019 data on traffic stops and speed camera tickets. They determined the racial makeup of drivers on the road, and compared that with the demographics of the people stopped or ticketed.

They found that on a street where half of drivers were white, the probability of a white driver getting a traffic camera ticket was just under 50%, while white drivers made up, on average, fewer than 20% of police stops.

On a street where half of drivers were Black, the probability of a Black driver getting a camera ticket was 54%. But Black drivers made up about 70% of police stops.

Comparing automated camera data to stops initiated by police sheds light in a clear way on the human role of the stops, said Nebiyou Tilahun, one of the study’s authors and an urban planning and policy professor at UIC.

“It specifically shows bias,” he said.

Asked about the study, CPD reiterated a statement it previously issued in light of the recent consent decree development, saying “Superintendent (Larry) Snelling is committed to ensuring traffic stops are being used effectively.” The department agreed to include the stops in the consent decree, and had already been reviewing use of the stops and is training officers, police said.

Traffic stops were down by about 80,500 year-to-date, the Police Department said Thursday, and felony arrests had increased by about 500. The department routinely initiates more than a half-million traffic stops each year.

Sometimes caught up in those stops is a 42-year-old insurance broker. The man, who is Black, said he has frequently been pulled over and asked that his name be withheld to talk about interactions with police.

One traffic stop stood out to him. It was near the University of Chicago one evening some nine years ago when his son, then around 5, was in the car. He asked an officer why he was pulled over and asked to talk with a supervisor, but was never told why he was stopped, he said.

He recalled how his heart thumped in his chest with worry as the officers held his license and registration.

“I get it. Cops have a job to do, whatever that job is,” he said. “That’s one aspect. But the other aspect is: Listen, man. I’m a citizen. I don’t want to do anything other than make it home right now.”

Chicago has for years grappled with concerns about racial disparities in traffic stops. The number of traffic stops began rising dramatically in 2016 , at the same time stops of pedestrians plummeted after a new state law and an agreement between the ACLU and the Police Department required officers to more thoroughly document and justify the pedestrian encounters to ease concerns about racial profiling and constitutional violations.

The debate over traffic stop policy has continued more recently. The consent decree development concerning how traffic stops are monitored followed the fatal shooting of Dexter Reed in March during a traffic stop. Body-worn camera footage showed Reed, purportedly pulled over for not wearing a seat belt, shooting an officer in the wrist before four other tactical officers opened fire, killing the 26-year-old man.

Foxx said she was grateful Snelling agreed to include traffic stops in the consent decree. But she described her proposal declining certain charges from certain stops as another response to “racism baked into the system.”

“If not this, what should we be doing?” she asked. “Where is the urgency from all of our stakeholders to address the repeated findings of systemic racism in these studies? It is not enough to simply say what we can’t do. I’m looking for someone to tell me what we can.”

The concept has stirred controversy. Foxx is set to leave office in the coming months, but said she wanted to move along the process to try to address the issue, though the next state’s attorney could have the ability to keep or scrap the policy.

In an April report , advocacy organization Impact for Equity found Chicago police conducted more traffic stops in 2023 than the year before, and the stops were largely for improper registration and headlight, taillight and license plate offenses, considered minor violations.

Nearly 4% of stops led to a citation and 2% led to an arrest, the report found. And Black and Latino drivers were disproportionately stopped and arrested, according to the report.

Impact for Equity and the Free2Move Coalition, a group focused on racial equity in traffic safety in Chicago, called for reducing pretextual traffic stops, or a stop for a minor violation like expired registration used as an excuse to search for evidence of an unrelated crime.

“It’s not resulting in any sort of public safety gains,” said Amy Thompson, staff counsel for Impact for Equity’s criminal legal system section. “And I think what we see is that really degrades trust between communities and law enforcement, when they perceive that they are just a target for law enforcement and not a true partner.”

Another layer to the traffic enforcement issue is differences in the level of investment across Chicago communities, Thompson said. It can be easier to speed down streets in neighborhoods primarily of color, which often don’t get the same safety measures meant to slow traffic that are put in place in other city neighborhoods. And neighborhoods that have been disinvested in for years have fewer businesses, limiting foot traffic on streets and making it easier to speed, she said.

The latest study, comparing enforcement to who is using the road and looking at both traffic stops and camera tickets, builds on Impact for Equity’s findings, said Wenfei Xu, another of the study’s authors and a professor at Cornell.

“If the aim is to arrest, (a traffic stop) doesn’t seem very effective in terms of how we’re spending taxpayer money,” she said, citing the low arrest rate found by Impact for Equity.

The city’s use of automated ticketing has drawn its own concerns from critics , and several investigations have examined the impact on low-income violators and households in majority Black and Hispanic areas. A  2022 ProPublica investigation found that households in majority Black and Hispanic ZIP codes in Chicago “received tickets at around twice the rate of those in white areas,” despite cameras being roughly evenly distributed across the city.

The traffic stop study’s authors said automated cameras provided a more race-neutral comparison point. The study refutes arguments that perhaps Black drivers speed more than other drivers, pointing instead to human bias, said Michael Smart, a study author and urban planning and policy professor at Rutgers.

“(Bias is) not just a police issue,” he said, “But it’s especially acute among police because of the powers that police are given.”

A 35-year-old South Shore resident, who requested his name not be used, said he has experienced that bias firsthand.

The man, who is Black, still recalls his first traffic stop when he was a junior at Mount Carmel High School, driving the red 1992 Mustang he and his dad had fixed up.

A string of other traffic stops followed, like the embarrassing one his then-girlfriend’s family witnessed while he was waiting to pick her up from a family gathering downtown, he said. Or the disconcerting one, years later when he was driving a black 2005 Mustang, when he was cut off and boxed in by several police cars after dropping his girlfriend off after dinner.

The man, who loves American muscle cars, now drives a Honda Civic, reserving the Mustang for special cruises in the summer. After being pulled over so many times in the Mustang he was frustrated and wanted to draw less attention to himself, he said.

Even so, he said he was pulled over three times in two years in the Civic, though at least one was not by Chicago police.

“I’m always trying to go home,” he said. “My focus is going home.”

This story has been updated to correct a reference to the next Cook County state’s attorney. 

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