The summit is being held May 20-21 at McCormick Place in downtown Chicago. Miles from McCormick Place in downtown Chicago, the Secret Service has set up its Multi-Agency Communications Center (MACC). The MACC is essentially the NATO summit's security nerve center.
"This is so we can have real time reporting of any incident that may happen in Chicago, anything going on," Derrick Golden, U.S. Secret Service, said.
Chicagoans may be familiar with the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communication: The 911 Center. Thousands of cameras are monitored there-- live. But keep in mind, the regular of police and fire calls will continue even during the summit, so Chicago will provide live feeds from its camera network to the Secret Service run facility in the suburbs.
"If we see anything on our cameras or from different agencies, we can call it in," Capt. Hootan Bahmandeji, Chicago Police Department, said.
Law enforcement is also monitoring large gathering for threats foreign and domestic. That's the FBI's specialty.
"We're going to try to figure out who is there and what their motive is, if they do have any intent to commit crimes," Joan Hyde, FBI, said.
In Lake Forest, arguably home to more than a few of the so-called "1-percent," the local police department has cancelled all days off. In Oak Brook, police also plan to increase patrols, including near McDonalds corporate headquarters.
At the MACC, an alphabet soup of government agencies will be represented around the clock-- FBI, CPD, and DSS. DSS stands for Diplomatic Security Service, the people charged with keeping foreign delegations safe. Those delegations could have last minute whims, like taking in a Chicago baseball game.
"We normally work with them on trying to accomplish wherever they want to go, that's our job to facilitate where want to go and what they want to do," Marty Kraus, U.S. DSS, said.
Many suburban departments are also contributing an officer each to a special team that can be activated in the event extra help is needed. When asked if he anticipated any trouble in the suburbs, a law enforcement official said "cops are like Boy Scouts. They always like to be prepared."