Cook County sheriff's new CTA patrols target crime and fare evasion

Why it matters: CTA safety remains a major concern for riders. Sheriff Tom Dart's new train patrols represent one of the most comprehensive efforts yet to restore order by cracking down on even the simplest violations.

State of play: After being deployed to the CTA this spring, Dart says, his officers quickly identified fare evasion as the system's most pervasive problem.

What they're saying: "When my folks first came back from their different days out, they were blown away," Dart tells Axios. "It was very, very chaotic."

• "On the Red Line, the vast majority of people were not paying," Dart says. "You can't fund this thing if no one's paying, but the other part of it, too, there was a direct correlation between people who were committing offenses and people who hadn't paid. So we wanted to set the tone."
• Since March 27, the office has seen an 85% reduction in fare evasion on the Red Line, it says. It measures this by surveying CTA workers at the turnstiles.

Context: The state legislature established the Northern Illinois Transit Authority last fall and tapped the sheriff's office to lead the development of a transit safety plan. Dart partnered with the CTA and the Chicago Police Department to deploy officers to stations and train lines with the highest crime rates.

• The task force coincides with the federal government's push for the CTA to improve safety or risk losing some transit funding.

Zoom in: Dart describes the effort as equal parts enforcement and education, targeting smoking, drug use and passengers moving between train cars.

• "It's clear that if we focus on just the basic rules of operating there, the majority of the incidents will be addressed," he says.
• "I think people learn from it," Cook County Sheriff's Sgt. Michael Yelton tells Axios. "We aren't here to take everyone to jail. We're here to talk to you and let you know this activity is not allowed. It'll be enforced every time."

How it works: Teams typically consist of three to six officers, with deputies stationed at each end of the train while others walk between cars.

By the numbers: Since launching the initiative, sheriff's personnel have made 225 arrests, recovered 23 weapons, and located 10 missing people.

• They have issued more than 1,500 warnings for offenses that would otherwise be ordinance violations, and the social service team has assisted in helping more than 115 people experiencing mental health issues.
• About 50 sheriff's officers, including social service workers, are assigned to 12-hour shifts on the CTA.
• As of June 22, the Sheriff's Office has spent approximately $3.1 million on the patrols.

Reality check: Officers have shifted their focus to the West Side, where fare evasion and quality-of-life violations remain widespread on parts of the Green Line.

• On the day Axios observed police activity on the Green Line, officers apprehended five people, arresting one for alleged drug possession.
• The other passengers were smoking on the train, drinking alcohol or moving between cars. Officers don't arrest passengers for CTA violations; instead, they escort them out of the station.
• A CTA employee at the Cicero station told officers that 25 passengers evaded fares over a 20-minute period. An officer told me that the previous day, there were 125 fare evaders at the 63rd Street station.

What's next: Sheriff's deputies are expected to begin boarding CTA buses later this summer, expanding the initiative beyond rail service. Dart says the task force will release its findings by year's end.