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CTA recaps transit safety workshop; staff to develop Safe Ride Ambassador pilot partnerships
Summary
CTA reported findings from a multi‑stakeholder transit safety workshop and previewed development of Safe Ride Ambassador pilot designs focused on crisis intervention and community violence interruption; staff will publish a summary report and proceed to design pilot partnership scopes.
Acting president (agenda reference: Norliff) and Carrie Bader, vice president of strategy and innovation, presented a recap of an Aug. 28 transit community safety workshop that brought more than 50 external attendees and roughly 25 CTA staff together to shape a comprehensive security strategy and a Safe Ride Ambassador pilot.
Bader said the workshop goals were safety through presence, partnership and people and that peer agencies (TriMet, BART and Metro Transit) described multi‑year, small‑scale starts that grew into larger crisis‑intervention ambassador programs. Participants emphasized empathetic engagement, de‑escalation and clear dispatch/communication protocols. Staff will produce a summary report for attendees, CTA leadership and the board; next steps include attendee surveys and drafting pilot partnership scopes for distinct pilot designs (one focused on crisis intervention, another on community violence interruption and pro‑social engagement).
During public comments, Felicia Peterson, a community nonprofit founder, outlined an after‑hours youth engagement and intervention program on the Red Line and urged CTA to engage community partners. Another public commenter, Nick Hunter, warned the board about changes to DHS grant terms and asked CTA to decline a DHS award he said would require information sharing about immigration status.
