Chicago transit violence persists despite spending tens of millions on security

Despite increased spending on safety and security, the Chicago Transit Authority continues to face challenges with violent crimes.

On the same day murder charges were announced in connection with the fatal shooting of four people on a CTA Blue Line train, a CTA worker was injured in a drive-by shooting outside Howard station on the CTA Red Line.

CTA President Dorval Carter said the CTA works closely with the Chicago Police Department and other police districts to provide safety.

“In the surveys and discussions that we have had, our customers are looking for a more visible police presence,” Carter said.

Carter addressed CTA spending on security in addition to police presence on buses and trains.

“The purpose of security guards serve the same purpose as ambassadors, which is to enforce rules of conduct and to provide other support,” Carter said.

The CTA budgeted $65 million for security services in its proposed budget for fiscal year 2024. The agency projects security costs to top $70 million a year by 2026.

Carter said that the 2024 budget for system security invested $2 million to expand social service enhancements for people experiencing homelessness, substance abuse or mental health issues.

On Aug. 29, the CTA announced a contract worth up to $200,000 with technology company ZeroEyes, which provides a visual gun detection and situational awareness software platform based on computer vision and advanced machine-learning artificial intelligence.

In 2018, the CTA announced “Safe and Secure,” a $33 million project to modernize and expand the agency’s network of surveillance cameras. The project was funded by a fee on ride-hailing services.

A Chicago man made his first court appearance Wednesday after he was charged with four counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of four CTA Blue Line riders early Monday in Forest Park.

Rhanni Davis, 30, previously was charged with gun-related crimes in 2019 and in 2021. In both cases, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office dropped the charges.

Late Tuesday, in an unrelated incident, a CTA employee was injured in a drive-by shooting outside the Howard Red Line station on Chicago’s North Side.

Carter talked about the connection between mass transit and public health outcomes at an Illinois Senate Transportation Committee hearing last week.

“Funding this transit system, not just CTA, but CTA, Metra and Pace are so critical to the long-term health and growth of the communities that we all live in and serve,” Carter said.

The CTA and other regional transit agencies are facing an estimated $730 million deficit in 2026.

U.S. taxpayers have provided $2.2 billion in American Rescue Plan Act relief to the CTA, but that funding is expected to end in 2025.

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security awarded the CTA a Transit Security Grant of more than $13 million in collaboration with the Chicago Police Department for transportation and infrastructure security activities. The grants are intended to protect the traveling public and critical transit infrastructure from acts of terrorism.

According to the CTA, its public funding has increased significantly due to the application of local sales taxes to online sales, local cannabis sales, and inflation.