CHICAGO — Crime on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) declined 25 percent in 2015, officials said recently.
That includes a 19 percent decline in thefts and a 22 percent drop in robberies, the most common crimes. It marks the fourth straight year crimes have decreased on the CTA.
Officials credit a number of crime-fighting approaches for the decline in crime. Among the approaches are the expansion of security cameras and a stepped-up police presence.
“Our aggressive efforts to deter and fight crime on the CTA since 2011 has increased safety for CTA customers, through the installation of thousands of cameras on buses, trains and at stations, strengthened policing strategies and vigorously prosecuting criminals,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a news release. “Our efforts are paying off with year-after-year declines in crime, but we will continue to fight all crime and send the message to offenders that we will not tolerate any criminal acts on the CTA.”
Crime on CTA trains dropped 32 percent in 2015, the agency said. Meanwhile, incidents on CTA buses also saw a 32 percent decline.
“The safety and security of all of our passengers is our top priority and a critical part of providing excellent customer service,” President Dorval R. Carter Jr. said in a news release. “We’ll continue to work closely with police, using all of the tools and resources we have, to make the CTA safe for each and every rider, every day.”
