New CTA crime data paints troubling picture

Zoom in: CTA homicide, shootings, rape and aggravated battery are up from last year, per Chicago Police Department reports. Other categories — including larceny, aggravated assault and robbery — are not.

• Data suggests CTA workers and riders are assaulted at twice the rate of those on comparable transit systems, according to a Tribune analysis.
• Over the last five years, an average of one rider per month has been shoved onto the train tracks, according to a Sun-Times report.

The other side: CTA officials say some assault figures could be skewed by aggressive reporting practices in Chicago.

• They point to data showing a recent drop in CTA worker assaults, even as crime has risen year over year in other categories.
• Officials further highlight a "75% increase in monthly system policing hours, aggressive crime reduction targets, and expanded social service support" to improve CTA safety.
• "CPD, in close partnership with CTA, is committed to enhancing safety on the public transit system for all riders and employees," CPD superintendent Larry Snelling said.

What we're watching: How new CTA initiatives to put police teams on trains and have others ride along on high-crime bus routes, or patrol high-risk bus stops, affect passenger safety.