Chicago police conduct active shooter drill at Water Tower Place

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police conducted an active shooter drill Tuesday morning, with officers filling Water Tower Place on the Magnificent Mile.

The drill simulated an active shooter inside the mall on Michigan Avenue. The drill included members of the SWAT team, OEMC, 18th district Chicago police officers, Water Tower private security and even civilians, volunteering to act as victims.

"It's a variety of simulations, the types of scenarios that might happen in any mall in America where you have an active shooter entering disguised as a member of the public and the event begins," said 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins.

"Police training is in progress" signs were posted inside the mall, and residents were warned ahead of time that this was not a real emergency to avoid any confusion.

The scene was videotaped for further review and future changes.

"Right now, we are involved in the post-event debriefing and the professionals that filmed this are looking at the video and analyzing it and they will make decision on what went well what didn't where's the areas for improvement but overall it was a success," Alderman Hopkins said.

OEMC released a statement on the drill saying, "The public safety drill that took place this morning is part of the City's public safety departments' regular training schedule cycle. The combined exercise between the Chicago Police Department and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, along with Water Tower security personnel, serves to reinforce policies and procedures, as well as identify best practices for an event at a major venue in Chicago.

"These exercises further enhance the City's overall readiness, response and recovery efforts for the safety and security of our residents and visitors here in Chicago. They also ensure that we are prepared to enact plans swiftly to mitigate the impact during emergencies by coordinating and communicating with key partners about roles and responsibilities.

"Together, we are establishing and utilizing best practices to plan for and respond to emergency situations and this exercise is just one example of the work we do day in and day out to make sure the people of Chicago are safe and secure."