A Cook County Sheriff's substation was supposed to open in the South Loop near the Roosevelt CTA Red Line stop on June 1, but now we're learning it could open as soon as Monday. 

The substation is marked, but not up and running yet. The Cook County Sheriff's Office said they have a presence in the area.

A 16-year-old girl was stabbed Tuesday night just feet from the Red Line stop and where the substation is supposed to be. Chicago police said the stabbing started as an argument, and the teen was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.

"This area of the South Loop has a been a problematic area for a long time, so we tried to be creative and see how we can bring more resources to this area. So I asked the Cook County Sheriff for help," said 34th Ward Alderman Bill Conway.

The substation was supposed to be operable in early June, but now in early August it still isn't.

"I will say I do appreciate the sheriffs are operational. They are working on it. And I do hope we can get it open as soon as possible," Conway said.

According to the sheriff's office, "as soon as possible" could be as soon as Monday, saying in a statement that they are already patrolling the area and, "We are engaged in ongoing conversations with local residents, business owners, and elected officials regarding concerns about crime."

Another Chicago substation for the sheriff's office in River North has focused on specific crimes like carjackings, car thefts and retail theft.

"This sheriff's office is really going to be looking at overall crime, but specially looking what's going on in the Jewel parking lot here as well as at this L station as well, where there's been a lot of problems over the years," Conway said. 

Data shows that despite public perception, crime is down in the South Loop compared to last year. Data from the Chicago Police Department shows that as of July 29, 2025 there have been 88 reported violent crimes in the Near South Side community area, down from 100 in the same time period in 2024, 108 in 2023 and 117 in 2022. 

When adjusted for population, the Near South Side saw 33 violent crimes per 10,000 people, which is below the citywide average of 57 crimes per 10,000 people. 

CBS News Chicago reached out to the Chicago Police Department for comment but they declined, and referred us to the Cook County Sheriff's Office instead. 

Full statement from the Cook County Sheriff's Office 

The Sheriff's Office is finalizing the installation of infrastructure at the South Loop substation and is working to open the location as soon as Monday. This space was offered to us as it was vacant and the community requested our presence in the area. We are engaged in ongoing conversations with local residents, business owners, and elected officials regarding concerns about crime. Even though the substation is not officially open, we have been assigning officers to patrol in the area.  We look forward to our partnership with the community and addressing crime and quality of life concerns,  as we are doing at our substations in Austin, Auburn Gresham, River North, Water Tower Place, and One Chicago.