Cook County State’s Attorney Launches Regional Transit Task Force to Enhance Public Safety
CHICAGO - Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke today announced the creation of the office’s Regional Transit Task Force (RTTF), a collaborative effort bringing together local, county, federal, and transit agencies to strengthen public safety across Chicago-area transit systems.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure on public transit,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke. “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.”
The RTTF will convene regularly, with its first meeting scheduled for May 26. Participants include representatives from the CCSAO, the Chicago Police Department, CTA, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, ATF, DEA, Metra, and Pace.
"The formation of this task force marks a historic moment as CTA expands and builds upon its security strategy," said CTA Acting President Nora 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 also 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. "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 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.
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