Feds warn Chicago Transit Authority to fix safety issues or risk losing funding
Federal government issues safety directive to CTA
The federal government is putting the CTA on notice. You might see more police patrols on your rides.
CHICAGO - The federal government is putting the CTA on notice. You might see more police patrols on your rides.
What we know:
If the CTA doesn’t step up, it could lose federal funding.
The head of the Federal Transit Administration says the city and state have "failed" to meet their obligation to riders.
A new ultimatum — or "special directive" as they’re calling it — came in the form of a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker.
It specifically points to the horrific attack on the Blue Line last month, where a man with a lengthy criminal history — and a record of at least 72 arrests — set a 26-year-old woman on fire. She is still recovering from severe injuries.
Trump threatens funding for Chicago transit after woman set on fire
President Trump's administration is threatening to pull federal funding for public transportation in Chicago unless the city tightens security after a man allegedly set a woman on fire inside a commuter train in November.
"Safety is not a talking point—it is the most fundamental obligation of public service. I expect CTA to swiftly comply with the Special Directive to protect the lives of the people who ride and operate its transit system," said Federal Transit Administrator Marc Molinaro.
Just last week, another man was charged with attempted murder for pushing a person with intellectual disabilities onto the tracks at Harlem Avenue.
According to the letter, assaults against riders have surged 150% in the last five years.
Federal officials are now ordering the CTA to come up with an enhanced security plan by Dec. 15 and implement it by Dec. 19. The CTA says it will respond by the deadline.
What they're saying:
Pritzker and Johnson addressed the government’s warning on Tuesday.
"The feeling and the emotion and the experience of having crime occur on our public transportation system is certainly detrimental to our city as a whole," Johnson said.
Johnson added that he will continue collaborating with state and county agencies to ensure riders feel safe. He also said that this includes keeping organizations that work to address homelessness and mental health closely engaged with the CTA.
"This is the federal government threatening state and local government with taking funds for a purpose that they're not allowed to," Pritzker said.
While Pritzker is pushing back, Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward) said he doesn't often agree with President Donald Trump — but on this topic, he's on board.
"The problem here is that the CTA is not safe, especially the Red Line and Blue Line," Reilly said. "We’ve seen some horrific events in recent weeks, and I think that could have been easily prevented by having a greater commitment from CTA — to actually have police officers occasionally walk through train cars. Simply putting security guards on train platforms is not enough."
He went on to say: "I think the CTA should consider jettisoning their security contract. They should be using CPD officers on an overtime program and have them actually deployed onto trains from time to time. If a would-be criminal thinks there's a shot at running into a uniformed police officer on a train, they're going to think twice about committing that crime."
What's next:
The FTA hasn’t revealed how much money it will withhold from the CTA if its demands aren’t met.
FOX 32 Chicago has also reached out to the Chicago Police Department to ask about their role in new security measures but did not immediately hear back.
The Source: Details for this story were collected and reported by Fox 32's Kasey Chronis.