Mapping CTA crime statistics
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Senator Dick Durbin and Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García sent a letter this week to the president of the CTA with one big message — do more to fight crime.
Why it matters: Crime on Chicago trains and buses is up 17% year-to-year.
Driving the news: While Durbin and García noted that more effort has recently been put into passenger and employee safety, "...more needs to be done to protect CTA's frontline workers and passengers given the alarming increase in crime on the CTA system."
State of play: The letter is in part a response to the transit union's call to make trains and buses safer for employees after a train operator was pushed onto the tracks last month in Edgewater.
The other side: Police chief David Brown responded to the letter by saying the department is working with technology to reduce CTA crime.
- "We spread resources to the hot spots where data shows us where crime is more prevalent on the CTA," Brown said at a press conference yesterday.
By the numbers: CTA crime numbers from 2022 broken down by location with most incidents classified as robbery, battery, or theft:
- The Loop led all areas with 205.
- River North/Gold Coast: 67
- Roseland: 40
- Near West Side: 34
- Rogers Park: 32
- Austin: 30
Note: It's not surprising that the Loop led the way because so many bus and train lines converge downtown.
Context: In March, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced new safety measures on the CTA, including more officers assigned to the Bureau of Counterterrorism and contracts with private security officers to patrol nights and weekends.