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BOMA/Chicago Preparedness Committee Meeting Recap: December 15, 2020

Below is a summary of what was discussed at the BOMA/Chicago Preparedness Committee meeting on December 15th. The meeting was hosted by Ron Tabaczynski (BOMA) and Tom Henkey (Vice-Chair, Titan).

The meeting included members of the Chicago Fire Department (CFD), Chicago Police Department (CPD), Crime Prevention and Information Center (CPIC), Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Threat landscape briefing by Charles Junirs, Intelligence Officer for DHS, detailed to the CPIC Fusion Center

  • Chinese efforts at intellectual property theft, including cyber activity, organized criminal elements, supply chain disruption, and academic recruiting;
  • Cyber threats including both state and private/non-state offenders, with recent Russian efforts being especially concerning;
  • Related topic of the large-scale SolarWinds breach that affected both public sector and private sector organizations;
  • Terrorist acts by lone offenders or small cells, with domestic violent extremists remaining a top concern through early 2021.

BOMA/Chicago Update:

  • Update on recent and upcoming protests/demonstrations/gatherings in the Loop;
    • The overall tempo of protest activity is down, despite two recent events at Millennium Park
  • Commercial buildings are not currently experiencing any limitations due to the capacity issues city-wide;
  • Multiple communication methods on spontaneous or short-notice events, including Chicago Public Private Task Force (CPPTF) and BOMA Slack channel.

Public Sector Updates:

CPD, 1st District:

  • Gatherings and demonstrations have decreased overall;
  • Vehicle thefts are up, while robberies and other crimes continue to be down year-over-year;
  • CPD-CAPS community policing office is holding a virtual discussion on strategic planning.

CPD, 18th District:

  • Noted that vehicle thefts are up, primarily due to keys left in running cars by delivery drivers;
  • Overall, crime is down year-over-year.

CFD:

  • Noted that drills are ongoing with social distancing measures;
  • Fire safety director (FSD) course is being performed virtually with sign-up for February 17-19 class coming soon.

OEMC:

  • Monitoring ongoing weekend activities and events;
  • Assisting in the coordination of vaccine logistics.

CPIC:

  • The fusion center continues to monitor events;
  • There are major updates of the FIMS/CP3 system pending in 2021.

DHS:

  • Assisting with vaccine prioritization guidance for essential roles;
  • Update on SolarWinds hack is vital information for all partners.

Next Meeting:

  • The next meeting is scheduled for January 19th, 2021, and held via Microsoft Teams.

As always, if you “See Something, Say Something.” For life-threatening emergencies, call 911. To report suspicious activity, call 855-RPRT-2-S4 (855-777-8274).