With the upcoming Halloween weekend activities, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) is reminding everyone to be safe and vigilant especially in crowds and report suspicious activity to 9-1-1. OEMC will monitor activities and weather throughout the weekend.

OEMC is also encouraging residents and particularly families to get smart about Halloween safety by creating a Smart911.com profile for your household. Smart911 is a free service that allows you to create a safety profile for your family, which can include information on children, pets, health conditions, home address, photos of family and more. A Smart911 profile is available to the call taker when calling 9-1-1 to the help you need. It is an essential part of any Halloween or everyday safety plan. Halloween and trick-or-treating safety tips include:

• If you’re going out with a group, make sure the buddy system is being used.
• Trick-or-Treaters should carry a flashlight, glowstick or utilize reflective tape.
• Take a digital photo of your kids in the event of an emergency
• Make sure your child’s costume is safe i.e., fire retardant, mask with proper ventilation, easy movement, etc.
• Know who your children are trick-or-treating with and their contact information.
• Add a photo of your child to your Smart911 profile for first responders if they get lost.
• If you see any suspicious activity, call 9-1-1.

Motorists in the areas of events and activities should be prepared for increased traffic and possible reroutes, if needed. Street closures may be in effect for larger events to ensure public safety. Attendees are reminded to respect the surrounding communities.

Arts In the Dark Parade, Saturday, October 29 on State Street
The Arts in the Dark Parade will step off at State and Lake Street at 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Assembly will begin at 4 p.m. on Wacker Drive between Lake and State. The route will head south on state from Lake Street to Van Buren. Northbound State Street will be closed for set up from Washington to Randolph from 6–10 a.m. and 3–10 p.m. For additional details, visit ArtsintheDark.com.

Arts in the Dark street closures in effect from 5:30–8:30 p.m. include:
• State Street from Lake to Ida B. Wells
• Lake Street from Dearborn to Wabash
• Randolph from Wabash to Dearborn
• Washington from Dearborn to Wabash
• Madison from Wabash to Dearborn
• Monroe from Dearborn to Wabash
• Adams from Wabash to Dearborn
• Jackson from Dearborn to Wabash
• Van Buren from Wabash to Dearborn

La Carrera De Los Muertos: Saturday, October 29
The 5K run and walk is located in Pilsen at Benito Juarez Community Academy High School at 31st and Ashland and starts at 8 a.m. For course information and additional details, visit unoraceofthedead.org.

Komen Chicago Race for the Cure: Saturday, October 29
The 3.1-mile Chicago Race for the Cure starts at Soldier Field, Stadium Green and takes place along the lakefront path, finishing at Soldier Field. Event opens at 7 a.m. and race starts at 9 a.m. For details, visit Komen.org/Chicago

Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade: Monday, October 31
The 2022 Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade is from 6–10 p.m. and will step off at 6 p.m. at Halsted and Belmont heading north on Halsted to Brompton. Halsted Street will be closed from Belmont to Addison from 5 p.m.–12 a.m. For a full list or closures and parking restrictions, visit Northalsted.com/events/halloween/. Immediately following there will be a post parade event in the parking lot of Mid-City at Halsted and Brompton.

The Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) will monitor the citywide events from the Operations Center and coordinate public safety resources with the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department and City of Chicago infrastructure departments.

Traffic Control Aides (TCAs) will be on hand at events citywide to direct flow and impacts from heavy traffic. Public transportation is encouraged. For more information on CTA services and reroutes, visit TransitChicago.com or call 312-836-7000 from any area code/1-888-YOUR-I CTA.

Report Suspicious Activity: If you See Something Say Something. The city reminds the public to be aware of their surroundings and to report suspicious activity. If you notice something suspicious, notify onsite security or call 9-1-1. If You See Something, Say Something™ is a national anti-terrorism public awareness campaign that emphasizes the importance of reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities.

Weather
OEMC advises Chicagoans to be aware of weather conditions and to follow instructions and heed all warnings from public safety officials. We encourage residents to check the weather before heading out. For the most up-to-date weather information, please tune into local media or download a weather app.

OEMC will issue any alerts and notifications needed to keep residents and attendees up to date on weather conditions and emergencies. Sign up for NotifyChicago alerts at NotifyChicago.org. OEMC also issues TEXT alerts for lakefront notices, issues affecting businesses or COVID-19 updates:

• CHILAKE: For lakefront notices, TEXT “CHILAKE” to 7-8-0-1-5
• CHIBIZ: For alerts affecting businesses, TEXT “CHIBIZ” to 6-7-2-8-3

For additional information on emergency preparedness information, visit the OEMC website at Chicago.gov/OEMC. Follow the Office of Emergency Management and Communications on Facebook (@coemc), Twitter (@ChicagoOEMC) and Instagram (chicago_oemc_911).

# # #