State 'Peacekeepers' to patrol Chicago streets over holiday weekend

If there's unrest downtown or mass shootings elsewhere in Chicago this Memorial Day holiday - often among the year's most violent weekends - a special team of 30 "Peacekeepers" wearing yellow vests will be mobilized to help calm things down, state officials said Tuesday.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker authorized funding the anti-violence strategy in 2021 when he signed the Reimagine Public Safety Act, creating the state Office of Firearm Violence Prevention.

More than 500 people have been hired as Peacekeepers, trained to deescalate conflicts in 102 "hot spots" in 14 Chicago communities. They're on duty from Tuesday through Saturday.

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