CIAO DATE: 04/2011
June 2010
Superintendent Jody Weis noted that Chicago, like New York and Los Angeles, is a top terror target. It is the third largest city in the United States, with a population just under 3 million people. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency has identifi ed more than 1,000 assets, including those in the government, fi nancial or commercial, transportation, technology, and utility sectors, which terrorists might fi nd tempting. The city is home, for example, to two airports – O’Hare and Midway, with O’Hare being the second busiest in the country. Six major freight railroads service the city, with more than 1,200 trains passing through Chicago daily carrying 75% of the nation’s freight valued at some $350 billion. Chicago is the fourth busiest stop on the Amtrak system. The city’s public transportation system, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the nation’s second largest, serves 1.6 million riders a day. Chicago is one of the few cities with mass transit service to the airport. The Port of Chicago, with access to major railroads, is on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) list of 100 critical seaports. And, Chicago has some of the nation’s major landmarks, including the Willis Tower, formerly the “Sears Tower,” the tallest building in the country and the target of a 2006 terror plot; and the Navy Pier, the number one tourist attraction in the Midwest attracting more than eight million visitors each year. There are 29 Fortune 500 companies in Chicago.
Resource link: Chicago's Preparedness for Terrorism [PDF] - 2.6M