Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke this week announced the creation of the office’s Regional Transit Task Force (RTTF), a collaborative effort bringing together local, county, federal, and transit agencies to crack down on crime on the CTA.
The task force is a partnership between her office, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the Chicago Police Department, CTA, Metra, Pace, and several federal agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, DEA, and ATF.
Burke, Chicago Transit Authority officials, and other local leaders said the task force will strengthen prosecution and make the system safer.
Burke said those accused of less serious charges will be prosecuted as well. She said there are programs that help those with mental health challenges. Still, Burke said misdemeanor prosecutions “must happen in order to provide those services.”
“Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure on public transit,” Burke said. “This task force brings law enforcement and transit partners together to share intelligence, deter transit-related crime and improve public safety to better protect riders, transit workers and our communities.”
CTA Interim President Nora Leerhsen called the task force an unprecedented collaborative move to fight transit-related crime across Chicago and Cook County.
“The formation of this task force marks a historic moment as CTA expands and builds upon its security strategy,” said Leerhsen.
“This is an unprecedented partnership that brings together local, county and federal law enforcement to work alongside every major transit agency in the Chicago region. Our message is simple: Law enforcement at every level is working in tandem with CTA to ensure a vibrant, thriving future for public transit.”
“Safe public transit is essential for connecting communities in and around the Chicagoland region,” said Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart. “We look forward to working with transit and law enforcement partners to improve safety and security for the two million public transit riders in Northeastern Illinois.”
“The Regional Transit Task Force is another tool that will bring us together to hold criminal offenders accountable and prevent further crime from occurring on our buses and trains,” said Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling in a statement.
“This task force is an example of what happens when all levels of government and law enforcement collaborate to better serve and safeguard those utilizing public transportation throughout the city.”
The creation of the RTTF follows the formation of the CCSAO’s internal CTA task force, which focuses on effective prosecutions of transit-related crime in Chicago. As part of that effort, Assistant State’s Attorneys receive specialized training from the CTA and CPD about video technology that is available to support law enforcement investigations and that can be presented in court as evidence.