Cook County State's Attorney's office to discuss new federal crime-fighting team for CTA public transit
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office Monday is expected to announce a new regional taskforce to combat crime on Chicago's public transportation.
A team from the Cook County State's Attorney's office recently passed out flyers about its efforts to prosecute crimes committed on the CTA system.
The news conference scheduled for Monday afternoon will be all about a new regional transit crime-fighting team involving federal law enforcement, including the FBI, ATF and DEA.
The Trump administration has threatened to pull funding from the CTA if safety does not improve.
The recent arrest of Lanell Fields does not help the CTA's reputation. Fields is accused of hijacking a No. 53 Pulaski Road bus at knifepoint early Wednesday of last week.
Sources said the CTA employee was forced to drive seven miles off course before Fields escaped out of a window.
But as scary as the headline was, CTA said it's not a reflection of overall safety on the city's public transit. CTA data shows crime is down, and Acting President Nora Leerhsen attributes some of that decrease to recently beefed-up patrols by Chicago police and Cook County Sheriff's deputies.
"Notably, the positive trends are concentrated in areas where we are specifically sending resources in a targeted, data informed way," she said.
A recent CTA safety plan called for a 75% increase in police patrols on buses and trains. That bump includes more hours from Chicago police Public Transit officers, doubling CTA assignments for off-duty officers, and bringing in Cook County Sheriff's deputies.
The new internal taskforce is made up of nearly 40 assistant states' attorneys and investigations. They will undergo training with CTA and CPD to access digital evidence, video and more.
Private security companies are not part of new CTA efforts. A few weeks ago, the CTA canceled contracts for hundreds of unarmed guards, replacing them with police patrols.
The announcement on the transit crime-fighting team is set for 1:30 p.m. Monday. It also comes just a few days after the CTA revealed its tally of bus and train in 2025 rides fell short of the actual number by 19 million rides.
