New Team Aims to Make Public Transit Safer in Cook County

A fresh effort is now underway to tackle crime on Chicago's bus and train systems. A mix of local and federal agencies have teamed up to form a special task force. This group includes police from Cook County, Chicago, and federal levels, plus transit officials from the CTA, Metra, and Pace. Their main goal is to improve how crimes on public transit are handled. Starting next week, the group will meet monthly to review how cases move through the legal system. They want to make sure charges and prosecutions happen quickly and smoothly. A state’s attorney explained that when agencies work together closely, they can make real progress. This new task force isn’t the first one created this year. It’s separate from another group required by a new state law that kicks in soon. That law demands a regional team, led by the Cook County sheriff, to focus on reducing violent crime. By December, that team must share ideas for fighting transit crime. When asked how this new team differs from the one required by law, a state’s attorney said the legal team isn’t fully set up yet. "We saw an urgent need to act now, " she said. Reporters asked if communication problems between agencies pushed this move. The state’s attorney pointed to an earlier internal effort with CTA and police. They worked on using technology better in court cases, and it worked so well that they decided to expand the idea across the region.The task force includes ten agencies, but not the Northern Illinois Transit Authority. Starting in June, NITA will take over as the new governing body for the CTA, Metra, and Pace. NITA aims to improve coordination between these agencies, and some of its new funding will go toward more police and safety measures. Crime on the CTA has dropped by 24% this year compared to last, but some violent crimes are still rising. Aggravated batteries and sexual assaults have gone up slightly. After a shocking attack on a woman on the Blue Line last year, the CTA faced pressure to improve safety. The federal government even threatened to cut funding if changes weren’t made. To respond, the CTA increased police patrols by 75% and added sheriff’s deputies to the rail system. The threats to withhold funding have since been paused, for now. The CTA says the extra police are working, pointing to a 33% drop in violent crime in April compared to last year.