Overall crime continued to drop in September, the result of a close partnership with the Chicago Police Department
Crime in September on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) continued a downward trend in 2023. Instances of reported crimes on the transit system remain rare, and the CTA is proud to provide safe and reliable transportation to the riders who account for the roughly 1 million rides taken each weekday.
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 September:
- Overall transit crime is down 12% year to date, as well as a 12% drop compared to September 2022.
- Violent crime on the CTA, while up 11% month to date (Sept. 23 vs. Sept 22), is down 9% year to date.
“Ensuring CTA employees’ and our riders’ safety is my top priority. When a crime occurs on the system, we work closely to assist police in their investigation, including reviewing and providing any relevant security footage,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “Whenever a CTA employee is assaulted while discharging his or her duties, the CTA works closely with law enforcement to ensure that felony upgrades are aggressively pursued against the offender.”
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.