The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will invest $10 million to hire 50 full-time police officers to patrol rail and bus stations across the city.
The 50 full-time police officers will come from the Chicago Police Academy. Recruits are scheduled to begin the Academy in the fall of this year. They will go through six months of intensive training, with officers expected to be detailed to the Public Transportation Section by spring 2012.
The CTA works closely with the Chicago Police Department Public Transportation Section to identify, apprehend and prosecute individuals who commit crimes on CTA property. Currently, officers from the unit include both uniformed and plainclothes police who ride the trains and buses and patrol stations.
The investment is part of the Mayor Emanuel’s ongoing commitment to bring more police officers to every neighborhood of Chicago. To date, Mayor Emanuel and Superintendent McCarthy have announced the deployment of nearly 750 additional police officers to patrol the streets and ensure the safety of Chicago residents.