CTA planning to expand AI gun detection technology
Several recent incidents of violence on trains and buses have put CTA safety in the spotlight, and neighbors on Chicago's Southwest Side on Thursday spoke to transit and police leaders about their concerns.
The public meeting hosted by the 8th District Police Council came as the city's mass transit system prepares to expand its AI gun detection technology in the coming weeks.
Since January, community alerts from Chicago police regarding crime on the CTA have continued to mount. They tell of attacks, robberies, and other violent incidents on buses and trains. Riders are aware of the incidents, but not everyone is frightened.
Bruce Stewart rides the Red Line mostly, and since the start of the new year, he has seen a change on the system.
"I've definitely seen a lot more police on the trains. I've seen some of those K9 units. I haven't really seen too much of the softer security things they've had going on," he said.
In 2024, CTA started testing new AI gun detection technology. Using software, it could see if anyone coming into a train station was carrying a gun. Now CTA is ready to roll it out in full force. CTA vice president of security Kevin Ryan spoke out at Thursday night's police council meeting in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood.
"We've seen really good results," he said.
Ryan would only say the expansion of the gun detection system is happening "real soon," and comes when CTA is already seeing a decline in crime.
From Jan. 1 through Feb. 8, police said there have been 134 reported crimes on the CTA compared to 144 reported crimes in same time of 2025, a drop of 6.9%.
In the same time frame, robberies have dropped 18%, and larceny thefts have dropped 11%, but criminal sexual assaults and aggravated battery are up in 2026.
"I haven't had many upsetting instances on CTA. I do see homeless people and I do see people who appear to have mental illness," CTA rider Carla Jennings said.
CTA admits that's something they need to continue to address.
"You can't really arrest your way out of that, so we try to engage with service providers to go on system and engage the people," Ryan said.
CTA said the system is equipped with some 33,000 cameras and the expansion of AI gun detection technology will only enhance security on the rails.
The Federal Transit Authority has threatened to pull federal dollars if CTA doesn't implement an updated safety plan by next month.
CTA leaders insisted the gun detection expansion is not in response to that threat.
