You may have read that the CTA and Chicago Police are stepping up patrols and installing more cameras on rails lines in the wake of a murder at Fullerton and an increase in muggings this year.
Here's the 411 on the details, or should I say, 911:
The CTA's plans:
- About 3,000 cameras will be installed at rail stations by the end of the year, doubling the number currently installed. Each station typically will have between 10 and 30 cameras.
- Installation will happen more quickly by "accelerated bidding process with pre-certified technology vendors," according to a press release.
- The first cameras are going up at Jarvis, Morse, Granville, Bryn Mawr and Argyle, says a Tribune report.
- Cameras will be retrofitted to older rail cars, but officials warn this is a multi-year effort that won't happen quickly.
The Chicago Police plan:
- Officers will be redeployed from school assignments to beef up patrols.
- More plainclothes cops will patrol in an effort to stem the growing tide of theft of phones and other electronic devices.
My concerns:
This has to be a sustained effort from the police. Police personnel already are stretched thin. What happens when kids go back to school in September? Certainly, crime doesn't stop.
As I've mentioned before, passengers are part of the problem and part of the solution. Wake up people! Pay attention. Don't show off your pricey jewelry and smartphones, especially when sitting near the doors. Report crime and any suspicious activity.
Filed under: CTA in the news, CTA safety
Tags: Chicago Transit Authority, CTA, safety
Crime certainly doesn't stop when kids go back to school, but it has been shown pretty consistently that crime does spike in the summer (at least in Chicago it does). Unfortunately the warm weather is conducive to crime as more people are outside enjoying the weather and criminals are able to move around more easily. Also unfortunately, some of the people (students) in the schools are a large part the people committing the crimes in the summer.