The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) submitted its Revised Security Enhancement Plan (Plan) to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), which includes a 75% increase in monthly system policing hours, aggressive crime reduction targets, and expanded social service support—bolstered by early data showing that crime reduction strategies implemented over the past three months are working.
The Plan is CTA's formal response to an FTA Special Directive issued in December and details how the agency will significantly expand the law enforcement surge it launched.
The Plan was created in collaboration with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) — CTA’s primary law enforcement partner — and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
CTA is also in frequent communication with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office about security initiatives.
"As part of its holistic approach to security, CTA is significantly increasing policing hours through the Chicago Police Department’s Public Transit Section and off-duty policing program, and the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department has been engaged to bring their officers onto CTA. CTA is also expanding social service support, from introducing mental health teams to funding shelter beds for the unhoused and investing in technology that supports the officers that patrol the system,” said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. “The January and February results from CTA and CPD’s joint security surge have been promising, and we’ve built on that momentum by creating a sustainable security model that puts people first.”
CTA’s Revised Security Plan
CTA officials said the agency shares the FTA’s commitment to the safety and security of employees and riders.
The Plan commits to 75% more monthly policing hours on the CTA’s system, including:
- 34% more hours from CPD’s Public Transit Section.
- Double the off-duty officers patrolling CTA on their days off as part of CPD’s Voluntary Special Employment Program (VSEP).
- Cook County Sheriff's Police officers working on CTA’s rail lines (4,400 hours monthly).
The agency has also worked closely with CPD to implement new police missions across its system, including:
- Transit Rider Interaction Program (TRIP) missions: Teams of six to eight officers board trains and inspect cars at high-incident stations. Over 300 TRIP missions have been conducted since they launched in January; crime at targeted stations has dropped by 15%.
- Bus Ride-Along missions: Officers patrol CTA bus routes with the highest reported crime and the highest fare evasion rates.
- Bus Safe Corridor missions: Police are stationed at bus stops in high-crime areas during peak hours.
- The improved security numbers since the December 2025 introduction of the CTA and the CPD’s joint security surge are compelling, officials said.
Those results include total transit worker assaults falling 25% in January and 29% in February when compared to the six-month average leading up to the start of the security surge in December 2025.
In addition, when comparing the period since the start of the surge (December 19, 2025) through the end of February 2026, with the same period in the previous year:
