Both overall and violent crimes drop in August, the result of a close partnership with the Chicago Police Department
Crime in August on Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) continued a downward trend in 2023.
According to statistics released last week by the Chicago Police Department (CPD), which provides law enforcement across the CTA system, crimes decreased across the board during the month of August:
- Overall transit crime was down 12% year to date and 35% compared to August 2022,
- Violent crime was down 16% year to date, and 13% month to date (August 2023 vs. August 2022)
“I’m encouraged that the downward trends in crime we’ve seen have continued through the summer, at a time when ridership has reached the highest levels since the start of the pandemic,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “My hope is that the data helps reinforce to our riders and employees that the CTA is getting safer every day.”
"Our officers work across all watches throughout the transit system to strengthen safety for those utilizing the CTA," said Joe Bird, Commander of the CPD Public Transportation Section. "In addition to the efforts of our officers and CTA security, we will continue leveraging technology and community engagement to reduce crime across the system."
The CTA works closely with CPD to deter crime on or near CTA properties and will also assist in investigations when a crime occurs. CTA supplements CPD’s efforts with its extensive network of more than 33,000 security-cameras and with hundreds of personnel deployed across the system each day, around the clock, and who are trained and acutely focused on customer comfort and safety.
CTA also augments CPD efforts with contracted security guards and K-9 units, who focus on addressing issues like customer behavior and fare evasion, to prevent them from leading to other potentially illicit activities.