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CTA officials report steep drops in crime and expand enforcement tools including automated bus‑lane cameras
Summary
Acting President Nora Lierzon reported sustained declines in major and violent crime on CTA property in June; the agency also described a renewed police special‑employment agreement and an expansion of automated bus‑lane enforcement from six to 52 camera‑equipped buses.
Acting President Nora Lierzon told the Chicago Transit Authority Board on July 8 that crime on CTA property continued to fall, with major crime down 45% in June year‑over‑year and systemwide major crime down about 30% year‑to‑date. She said violent crime showed an even steeper decline on several corridors, and highlighted a 69% drop in major crime on the Red Line.
"Major crime on CTA, according to CPD's most recent statistics in June, was down 45% from last June," Nora Lierzon said during her report.
The board also considered a renewed intergovernmental agreement with the Chicago Police Department to provide voluntary special‑employment officers on CTA property. Joe Byrd, introduced to the board as CTA’s chief of security, said the agreement supports roughly 180 officers and supervisors and permits temporary increases in staffing for special events or emergencies. Byrd described the program as a continuation and update to existing arrangements, with CPD retaining operational control of deployments and CTA reimbursing the city for officer services up to the budgeted limits presented to the board.
"The revised agreement will provide 24‑hour service and approximately 180 police officers including supervisors," the chief of security said. "CTA sets the overall objectives of the security agreement, but CPD retains authority over operations and deployments."
Directors questioned how CTA will monitor officers’ activity and ensure officers are active in stations and on trains rather than merely present; Byrd said the IGA expands supervisory coverage and requires CPD to provide deployment schedules and operational summaries for CTA leadership to review.
Separately, staff described an expansion of CTA’s automated bus‑lane enforcement program from six camera‑equipped buses to 52. Staff reported that the system had already captured nearly 22,000 warnings and violations between October and May with only six buses; scaling to 52 buses will extend enforcement to high‑priority routes including the No. 20, No. 36 and No. 66.
What happens next: the CPD IGA and the increased bus‑lane enforcement were approved on the omnibus; CTA staff said implementation steps and operational reporting will follow as contracts and deployment plans are finalized.
