Despite security, crimes occur along Chicago Marathon route

Officers from various agencies work to secure Marathon route.

By Kayla Daugherty

Security was exceptionally tight along the Chicago Marathon route on Oct. 11 thanks to the combined efforts of the FBI, Illinois State and Chicago Police Department, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Secret Service.

Despite the heightened security, crimes still occurred along the route and in neighboring areas.

There were 24 crimes along the route between midnight Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday, the most common of which was theft from retailers and buildings, followed by battery (mostly domestic battery). There were single incidents of deceptive practice, narcotics, robbery and a liquor law violation.

[field name=”Marathon Crime Chart”]

ABOVE: Number of each type of crime between midnight Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday, along the route of the Chicago Marathon.(Kayla Daugherty/Medill)

Throughout the city that Sunday, 431 crimes were documented by police, though only 4% happened along the race route. The Sunday previous had 385 incidents.

[field name=”Marathon Crime Map”]

ABOVE: In this interactive map, crimes that occurred in areas near the Chicago Marathon are shown. Specifics about the incidents are available by clicking. (Kayla Daugherty/Medill)


Photo at top: File photo of security at the Chicago Marathon in 2013. (Christopher Walljasper/Medill)