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CTA tells board it submitted revised FTA security plan and will add targeted law‑enforcement and social‑service missions
Summary
Acting President Nora Litz told the board CTA submitted a revised security enhancement plan to the FTA that increases law‑enforcement resources (CPD voluntary special employment, CPD transit unit, Cook County Sheriff's Office) and expands social‑service pilots; staff said targeted bus and rail missions are already rolling out and social‑service deployments aim for summer.
Acting President Nora Litz updated the Chicago Transit Authority board on March 11 that CTA submitted a revised security enhancement plan to the Federal Transit Administration. The plan, Litz said, increases law‑enforcement coverage through voluntary special employment with the Chicago Police Department, use of the CPD public‑transportation unit, and adds Cook County Sheriff's Office deployments; it also continues CTA’s multi‑layered approach to safety that includes technology, physical improvements and social‑service interventions.
Litz described a suite of initiatives already underway: increased targeted missions on Red and Blue Line segments, a transit‑rider interaction program that has conducted more than 300 missions since January, and new bus‑focused tactics. Staff described two bus concepts under development: a data‑driven police 'ride‑along' mission and a bus 'safe‑corridor' mission where officers will be visible at bus stops along targeted routes.
Board members pressed staff on hotspots, timelines and the social‑service side of the plan. CTA staff said the plan uses system data to identify hotspots and that many targeted missions are already being deployed. On the social‑services front, CTA has issued solicitations for violence‑interruption and crisis‑intervention providers; staff reported several applicants and said they expect to complete interviews and make selections in the coming weeks, with an aim to negotiate professional‑services agreements and begin deployment this summer (staff identified July as a target for initial deployment).
Directors emphasized pairing law enforcement with community‑based responses and with physical improvements at stations. Staff also described potential near‑term pilots and said they would explore accelerating deployments using existing partnerships where possible.
The board did not vote on the security plan at the meeting; staff reported it has been submitted to the FTA for review and said CTA will continue coordinating with CPD and other partners as the plan moves forward.
