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Incidents on CTA trains have increased 104 percent in the past five years. The growing CTA crime problem was the focus of a recent community meeting in Lake View.
17-Jan-20 – Chicago police will increase patrol of the Belmont CTA station, where much of the transit system’s recent criminal activity has occurred. About 100 Lake View residents attending a Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy beat meeting on January 8 learned that an additional 10-15 police officers will be stationed on CTA trains and buses, from 40 officers added to Chicago Police Department’s public transportation unit last year. It will bring the total to about 200 police officers patrolling CTA trains and buses – 60 to 70 officers per shift, according to Cindy Sam, Commander of CPD’s Public Transportation unit. New data from the City of Chicago shows crime on CTA trains and platforms is up 104 percent since 2015 – while ridership is down.
“We’re working with a finite number of resources, so we try to put the personnel where the crimes are happening,” she said. The meeting was organized by 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney. Of the eight L lines, the Red Line was the most dangerous last year, with 1,300 crimes reported. On January 3, a 65-year-old man was punched in the face multiple times at the Belmont station on a Friday afternoon. The victim says he was approached by a black man in his 20s who struck him with closed fists. Other recent victims include a pregnant woman who was beaten and robbed on the Red Line by two teen-age girls. |
