Dozens more Chicago police officers and private security guards to begin patrolling CTA on Friday
Starting on Friday, dozens more Chicago police officers and private security guards will be deploying the CTA's bus and train system, officials said on Thursday.
Police and CTA officials said the number of CPD officers participating in the CTA's "Voluntary Special Employment Program" will increase from an average of 77 per day to 120, thanks to new funding in the agency's 2026 budget.
The program allows Chicago police officers to sign up for patrols on the CTA on their days off, and is a supplement to CPD's mass transit unit.
In addition, the CTA will increase the number of private security K-9 units from an average of 172 security guards per day to 188.
"CPD officers are at the core of CTA's multilayered security strategy and I value our partnership with Superintendent Snelling and his staff as we continue our longstanding commitment to keep our riders safe," said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. "We expect the additional police and K-9 presence on our system to further increase security visibility."
The increase in police officers and security guards patrolling the CTA comes little more than a week after the Trump administration threatened to withhold funding from the agency unless it meets the federal government's demands for safety changes.
Earlier this month, the Federal Transit Administration accused the CTA of failing to protect riders and workers, citing last month's attack on 26-year-old Bethany MaGee, who was set on fire on a Blue Line train in downtown Chicago. The FTA called on the CTA to submit and implement a new security plan for the mass transit system.
The directive from the Trump administration called on the CTA to update its annual safety plan by the end of the year, "develop and submit a security enhancement plan" for federal approval by Dec. 15, and to implement that security enhancement plan in full by Dec. 19. That plan must significantly increase security or law enforcement presence on the CTA, and set specific crime reduction targets for each of the next six months.
Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson both have argued that action already had been taken to enhance safety on the CTA before the Trump administration's threat. The Illinois General Assembly included new safety measures when they passed a mass transit funding bill in October, including a law enforcement task force led by the Cook County Sheriff's Office.
Data analyzed by the CBS News Data Team showed, so far this year, there have been 834 violent crimes on CTA trains, buses, and properties, a 6.4% decrease from the same time last year, when there had been 891 violent crimes. About 19% of crimes resulted in an arrest this year, on par with the 20% average this past decade.
Violent crime, while down slightly this year from last, is higher than it was 10 years ago, up roughly 65% from 2015. Even so, Chicago is around levels last seen in 2012, when there were 892 violent incidents on the CTA.