>> Violent crime on the Chicago Transit Authority's trains and buses is up from last year.

That's despite efforts from the Chicago Police Department and the CTA to curb violence to private security and increased police presence.

Now, community organizations, local leaders and institutions like the state's attorney's office are weighing additional ways to keep riders safe.

All while the Trump administration threatens to cut federal funding to the city's transit system.

Joining us to discuss the issue are Lloyds on chief assistant state attorney for police and external affairs at the Cook County State's Attorney's office.

else.

The 3rd campaign organizer for the Active Transportation Alliance.

Kay Lo and Urban Planning and policy professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago and Joseph Schwieterman, a professor at DePaul University specializing in public policy and transportation.

We also invited the Chicago Transit Authority and the Chicago Police Department to join us.

But they both declined.

We think the 4 of you for joining us for this conversation.

So according to Chicago Police Department statistics year to date 40 aggravated assaults on the CTA.

And 26 compared with 47.

During the same time last year as well as 79 aggravated batteries this year compared with 67 during last year's time period.

increase there.

I'd like to get your reactions to some of these numbers and what you think may be driving Robert felt like it start with you, please.

>> Yeah, I you know, people encountering different problems and it seems react to those problems and issues in various ways them not sometimes or antisocial and criminal what we as advocates want know about when and where crimes are happening so that we can better craft responses and look behind the numbers.

And that's why one of the things that we advocate for is transit ambassadors to help keep an eye on the system and work with passengers and the CTA staff.

That event on what you make of the of that issue on violence on the CTA.

Well, it's something that we have seen consistently over the years.

And wow.

>> Violent crime throughout our city has decreased significantly.

>> Cta crime is one area where we consistency can STIs consistently see violent crime go up.

And that was a big source of concern state's attorney's office.

And we've implemented several initiatives to address that issue.

Yeah, I want to dig into some of those coming up.

>> Kay, your take on that sort of this issue you know, violent incidents on the CTA right now.

>> So occurs.

Every incident is regrettable should be taken seriously.

But I wanted to think about some of the plants Robert made kind of the root causes of violence.

Sometimes Le Monde, the CTA to solve really big picture problems, whether they're on house folks, who need mental health care.

Structural drivers of violence like this investment.

So I'm excited by some of the pilot programs that are being rolled out such as crisis intervention on the CTA and transit ambassadors.

So of course, it's very concerning.

>> But CTA is I am vetted and then it in a city that has a lot of issues we still need to grapple with.

>> Yeah, absolutely.

Josh Lederman get your take on the mission.

Yeah.

For slow makes a really good points.

think what the reason this is getting so much attention, as you know, we have the Tribune analysis about a month or 2 ago showing were actually higher than other cities.

So while New York Boston L a, >> I've seen those rates come down or is actually increases the rate of per 100,000 passengers.

So I think what that's done lot of cities are still seeing.

was a long time since the pandemic, but they're still seeing that gradual comeback and real heavy rail metro ridership.

We've kind of plateaued.

I think this crime issues really at the root of that.

So threatened so many things we want to see in Chicago right now.

>> on.

You mentioned some of the initiatives undertaken by Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke.

One of those the creation of a Chicago Transit Authority task Force.

Can you tell us a little bit about that and what it's meant to accomplish?

Yes, so the task force is comprised of states attorneys from all across the office.

>> All who have specialties in different disciplines.

The idea is that we will have those states attorneys specially trained so that they know all of the information that they need to to effectively and efficiently prosecute CTA crime CT has various technologies that they use.

We have very strident discovery obligations.

So it's important that the state's attorneys that are assigned to that task force are able to get that information, use it quickly and effectively and make sure that they are bringing forth very strong prosecutions.

And that was the goal of the task force.

Yes, I can imagine.

You know, you mentioned.

>> Cta as well as I'm sure CPD that there must be a lot of collaboration involved there.

There is a lot of collaboration.

It's very important that we are consistently communicating and collaborating with our partners at CTC PD and all of our other local, state and federal law enforcement partners.

The more >> resources we put towards this issue, the better of a chance we have being successful at getting those numbers come down.

You know, Kalo just last week the CTA fired its private security force of about 250 unarmed guards.

>> What did you make of the decision to terminate that contract?

>> So that's something I struggle with.

I I understand the CTA and the agencies are trying to be responsive to concerns by riders and operators who want to feel safe on.

You know, some of the private contractors are questions about advocacy.

I know one of them also had a kind of troubled record with some violent incidents.

>> So >> I would like to see a different approach, which is more frequency and a positive feedback.

Joe mentioned kind normalizing crime by by ridership.

One thing that makes people feel safe for is increased frequency.

So I think that needs to be part of the conversation about increasing a feeling of safety is more frequent service.

I not just kind of what the default in the U.S.

is, which is policing.

You know, Robert Chill to said before that.

>> The sort of private guards aren't necessarily the best approach to tackling violence.

You know, maybe more of a focus on things like mental health specialists, you know, social workers.

And we should note CTA does have outreach teams on the red and blue lines helping connect folks with social services.

Why do you think that's an important approach?

It's very important because people have different types of reactions to different situations and sometimes unhoused or mental illness or >> same withdraw or seeing people shoot up on Sunday.

A seen do things that make people unsafe as well as you know, assaults more serious types of things.

So that's one of the reasons why we want to lead them to some transit ambassadors, people.

They get to know the system.

also the other thing that needs to happen.

I always emphasize there's a gap between the lot of policing and doing nothing.

Right.

And within that gap, there's a lot of tools and one of the things that society needs to do and this is just not Chicago is scale up our response to House mental illness and substance abuse us.

We we respond to those issues, but it's not sufficient and it's not up to the scale of the Yeah.

addressing said some of those root causes.

You know, we mentioned briefly technology earlier.

Josh Lederman, do you think they're sort of >> technological approaches transit agencies like CTA should be employing, for example, you know, CTA has got this gun detection surveillance program, things like that.

>> The technology is sort of our friend here.

You can see Los Angeles experiment with an app called Transit Watch for people see an unwelcome behavior.

Crime, you know, can do a real-time report of that, which both allows, you know, security to be mobilized, but also gives U.S.

data.

And I think right now where the problems is, BC, a crime, you know, you're sort encouraged to get up and pick up the emergency folarin in the in the car, the train car.

And that's somewhat of very visible, scary act.

If you're seeing something to be seen as the one you know, calling police on a speedy so you can have you can envision apps for that.

Of course, security cameras, the rate of apprehension violent crimes has really fallen.

I think its own numbers close to 104 or so.

And the CPA and, you know, I think with that kind of technology, we should be able to get that rate out there.

Hopefully with a new funding coming in June afterwards, that's going to be a big push.

Absolutely.

And we should note CTA does say that it's, you know, it's chatbot system can be used to report these incidents of though.

>> You know, certainly not every writer necessarily knows that it lays you know, last December, just a horrific attack on a CTA train left.

One person burned after they were set on fire.

The suspect in this case had been arrested dozens of times previously involved in CT related crimes.

According to prosecutors, what sorts of the state's attorney's office and your partner's do too, prevent repeat offenders from committing crimes on CTA in instant like this.

What we have a couple different approaches.

>> One is we want to make sure that if people commit violent crimes on the CTA, our state's attorneys are stepping up in court recounting all that information to the court and seeking detention.

And that's important because when a person is to teens pre-trial by definition, we are prohibiting them from repeating crimes during the course of their case.

Secondarily, we did create the task force for that reason as well.

Having the task force makes or that we are putting forth the most effective prosecution.

We can so that we are getting convictions and individuals who are committing violent crime due to be held accountable.

And I think it's important that we are putting resources towards that.

in touch or directed fashion what you know after that incidents Trump administration threatened to withhold some 50 million dollars in federal funding to the CTA.

If the agency didn't create a new safety framework.

>> Josh Lederman, what could that Lawson funding mean to this eta's violence prevention efforts?

>> One of the city is indeed very tricky spot because they're planning a cost the Red Line extension.

You're going south to serve neighborhoods that are underserved.

And boy, you just see that investors being compromised.

If you know, if the security of the system doesn't increase, are people feel more comfortable riding late night, all our and so forth, including a red line, purple modernization, so much that investment is lost without that, you know, without that feeling that people are going line up for the train when traveling alone or feel scared.

So this really our whole plan better integrate our transit system and so forth.

It's pretty because of the fiction promise making people feel safe.

And I think the good news is the CTA gets this.

Now, as we've been saying, a lot of efforts with social service agencies with DCFS with new experimentation with are officers are trying things now that we didn't see a couple years ago.

That's encouraging would be better.

Those the see of course, trends moving in the right direction.

All right.

>> You know, Kalo as part of that updated safety plan.

The CTA announced increased police patrols on train and bus lines, including some a bus ride alongs which many operators have asked for, you know, in recent years.

What's your reaction to that?

That increase presence?

>> So on one thing I want to recognize is that my perspective on on the potential place impact might different than those of the operators?

And I you know, I want recognize the CTA for listening to their operators and riders.

Personally as a writer, I'd rather see full train car than empty train car with the place.

>> So I I think it's important to listen to the operators on the front lines.

>> But I would like to see more funding go to service enhancements relative to the police and much it.

>> Yeah, certainly we hearing even from the CTA itself that, you know, more frequent trains and buses and more riders make for a safer experience for everyone.

You know, the Robert Altman, when you talk to trap transit riders about safety issues, what sorts of concerns do they bring up?

What do you hear from them?

There's a whole range of >> safety begins the moment.

You leave your house and whether you could even get across the street like Cicero Avenue or North Avenue that are dangerous intersections of your bus stop on the other side of the street that poses a risk and goes into your calculus, then I think important development that we're going to see the bus operators with the cameras on their persons.

Every bus has approximately 11 cameras already inside and outside.

But I think that would be a extra slim and operators will will feel more safe.

So there's things that we can do that or technical.

There's things that we can do that early goal.

And then there's things that we can do.

Out of social sociology.

But the most important thing I think is delivering on service.

And part of that is like at a bus stop.

It's just a pole.

It's just you and the world.

If there's a shelter where you can sit that slide it and perhaps even has a panic button or some way to communicate with an authority like you see on college campuses.

Those our service delivery.

Things that are within CTA.

It's Rome that they could do to in the cape and hand safety.

You know, that the transit funding and reform bill passed last year creating the new northern Illinois Transit Authority overseeing that just CTA.

Also, Metra and pace.

>> It includes among other things, the new law enforcement task force that will be led by the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Are you hopeful that could, you know, sort of improve some of these issues around public safety on transit?

>> Absolutely.

I think whenever law enforcement is working with all of the partners that are impacted by whatever the issue is, we always have a better opportunity of addressing problems head-on and more comprehensively into some of the points that have been made by the other people and the panels prosecuting violent offenders is one option.

But there are other actions that the state's attorneys office has implemented as well.

For example, when a person appears in first appearance court and they may not have committed a violent crime and we aren't seeking detention on that case.

We have been requesting conditions their pretrial release to make sure that they are not returning to the locations where they may have committed that crime preventing that hopefully will deter future criminal activity.

And it also makes the people who've been impacted in victimized by that crime feel safer.

That's our goal.

>> You know, the bill also creates a transit ambassador program, which many advocates have long called Joe Schwieterman.

Your reaction to that provision?

>> Well, certainly I think, you know, that's low-cost way.

And in my view is that, you know, the scale of our system, the uniformed police officers, while they are that great, the critical part that's so expensive compared to just on trains and buses everywhere, think.

good news about our system is, you know, the metro system is seen as safe even the CTA buses have a higher level you know, consumer sense of security than the CTA trains.

So it's really our problems or or heavily focused on on the CTA rail.

And that's where those investors can really make a difference.

It can de-escalate.

They can give people confidence.

Some of those have empty trains that there's there's somebody watching and done quickly and a fraction of the cost of those uniform officers.

>> Yeah, you Robert Felt even with all these efforts even with the new focus on this can be difficult time sometimes to change the perception that folks have that seat.

He may not be safe.

>> Yeah.

Oh, that's a real tricky thing.

You know, safety is a function of perceptions so when you hear these high-level headlines, people react to them in different ways.

But when you look at statistics, the average person out there taking the CTA, right?

It's generally going to be safe.

And I think one of the things that's going to help advocates us knowing where some of these incidents are happening and how we can respond to One thing I see in my travels is at one occasion there was a half dozen private security and the couple enforcement people at a major station at 09:00AM in the morning.

That's not when the danger is for the average rider.

It's at 02:00AM in the morning.

Coming back from a concert and you're good boarding the L Harrison station where the lighting is poor and there's very few people around.

Yeah, we've got just about 30 seconds left.

But you know, if that obviously there are so many factors that go into crime, mental health, economic conditions.

>> You know, beyond sort of specifically focusing on CTA, are there things you think that, you know, city leaders should do to help reduce crime on on the CTA and elsewhere?

I think we have to keep the general public educated.

>> About what is going on and how they can protect themselves.

We had our community engagement, people various CTA stations last week to do just that.

And I think when we are open and accessible and listening to commuters, we have a good chance being successful not only the reality of safety, but the perception of safety as well.

All right.

It's a big topic, but you all helped us break it down.

That's all the time we've got.