Revamping Transit Safety: How Chicago Police and CTA Join Forces Post-Blue Line Fire Incident

CHICAGO – Following a disturbing incident in November where a woman was set ablaze on a CTA Blue Line train, the Federal Transit Administration has called for a revamped safety protocol from the Chicago transit system. Federal authorities have signaled that they may withhold substantial funding unless more robust safety initiatives are implemented.

At the heart of these efforts is the new Strategic Decision Support Center, a state-of-the-art facility that grants real-time access to tens of thousands of CTA and Chicago police surveillance cameras. This expanded center, operational for less than a year, is staffed by members of the citywide Robbery Task Force along with specialists from the public transportation section, aiming to apprehend criminals swiftly on public transit.

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“When we identify crimes in progress, we can immediately relay this information to the public transit teams and other nearby officers, allowing our detectives, who are stationed in this very room, to launch their investigations promptly,” explained Antoinette Ursitti, Chief of Detectives for the Chicago Police Department.

The center represents a collaborative initiative between the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Transit Authority, focused on deterring and apprehending perpetrators of violent crime.

“Access to real-time data significantly enhances our investigative capabilities, giving us a crucial advantage in capturing offenders,” said Sergeant Albert Wyroba.

One man who attacked and robbed a passenger on the Red Line in January, according to police, was arrested within five days because of quick access to video.

“These officers and detectives immediately start monitoring the cameras where these incidents occurred,” Sgt. Wyroba said.

Another man who was charged with criminal sexual abuse at a Red Line station in January was arrested within 11 hours of the crime occurring.

But in November, 26-year-old Bethany McGee was doused in gasoline and set on fire on a CTA Blue line train. That put CTA safety in the spotlight.

She was released from the hospital this month to continue her recovery. Her alleged attacker is facing federal terrorism charges.

“What they’re trying to do is not only hold that person accountable but make sure that they’re not out there doing that to someone else,” Chief Ursitti said.

According to CPD crime numbers reviewed by the ABC7 Chicago Data Team, violent crime on the CTA is up 4.3 percent in the last 12 months over the yearly average of the past three years, as overall crime citywide has fallen.

That Blue Line fire attack prompted the Federal Transit Administration to send a blistering letter to the CTA demanding aggressive safety improvements or risking the loss of millions in federal funding.

“We do have officers riding trains. We have officers on buses. We’ve also increased our canine patrols, our threat and security patrols,” CTA Vice President of Security Kevin Ryan said.

The I-Team obtained a copy of the CTA security enhancement plan sent to the FTA. It said the CTA would surge staffing of CPD across its system by 67 percent.

Records from Chicago police reviewed by the I-Team show they’ve gone above that with an average of 140 CPD members volunteering to work overtime with the CTA each day in the first weeks since the plan was implemented on Dec. 19.

The CTA also told the FTA it would increase the number of private security K-9 officers by 9 percent, up to 188 daily in the first few weeks.

Increasing artificial intelligence-monitored gun detection cameras and more physical protections for bus operators are also being implemented, according to the CTA response.

But in an official response, the FTA fired back, saying the new CTA security plan is “materially deficient,” that it “fails to target significant reductions in transit worker and customer assaults and other crime and fails to significantly increase security or law enforcement presence.”

Ryan told the I-Team he’s working with CPD to further increase officer staffing, saying, “We’re scheduling 200 percent more.”

Now, the CTA has less than a month to submit a stronger safety plan to the feds or face $50 million in funding cuts. The CTA said it could not comment on its new safety plan, as it is still being drafted. But they say having officers visible to the public every day is a big deal.

Lt. Tim Hawkins with the citywide Robbery Task Force at the Strategic Decision Support Center says, with access to tens of thousands of cameras, this unit’s significance goes well beyond policing on the CTA.

“The areas handle homicides and sexual assaults. They’ll be in touch with the room constantly to get video for people who are using it before, after or in between. And they’ve been a huge help. They handle hundreds of requests a month,” Hawkins said.

The CTA told the I-Team it would share the new safety plan being drafted to the FTA when it is submitted. The deadline to present an improved safety plan or face federal funding cuts is March 19.