CTA issues new surge security plan, FTA wants more at the risk of federal funding

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and the Chicago Police Department (CPD) have implemented a new security surge plan in response to a demand from the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) to improve security of the transit system or face federal funding cuts. The plan went into effect on Dec. 19, although the FTA is still looking for an increased security response, giving the CTA 90 days to come up with a stronger plan.

The FTA pushed back against the updates, saying that CTA's plan fails to address the high rate of assaults and other crimes against passengers and transit employees across its system, as the new plan did not include targets that effectively reduce assaults and other crimes.

As part of the plan, CPD has increased the number of sworn law enforcement officers participating in its Voluntary Special Employment Program (VSEP) from an average of 77 sworn law enforcement officers to 120 officers per day. To further supplement the increase in police officers on the system, private security canine (K-9) staffing will also increase, from an average of 172 canine security guards per day to 188 guards.

But the FTA didn’t find the jumps in personnel to be enough to fix the root issue, directing the transit agency to submit a new Security Enhancement Plan with “more aggressive” crime reduction targets and countermeasures to fortify safety for passengers and workers. If CTA does not submit a stronger plan within 90 days, the FTA says it will withhold as much as $50 million in federal Urbanized Area Formula funding.

The current surge plan funding is being provided by CTA to expand the program. In its fiscal year 2026 budget issued in October, CTA noted that additional investments would be made to bring more Chicago police officers into the system.

“CPD officers are at the core of CTA’s multilayered security strategy, and I value our partnership with Superintendent [Larry] Snelling and his staff as we continue our longstanding commitment to keep our riders safe,” said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. “We expect the additional police and K-9 presence on our system to further increase security visibility.”

The FTA took issue with the approach, saying that CTA never targeted a reduction of more than one assault per month in any given category, and in many categories and months, CTA targeted zero reductions. The FTA is targeting reductions that can be seen in the statistics.

"I'll say it plainly: CTA, city and state leaders are failing transit riders and operators," said Federal Transit Administrator Marc Molinaro. "This 'plan' fails to measurably reduce incidents of assaults and improve overall safety on buses and trains. If people's safety is at risk, so are federal funds. CTA must act to save lives and improve safety."

Under the surge plan, CTA and CPD are working together to deploy the added resources based on combined crime data and CTA system information. According to statistics reported earlier this month by CPD, crimes on CTA’s system are down 19% for the month of November, compared to 2024. That same category is down 3% year-to-date, compared to the same period last year.

In a comment to local news stations, the CTA says it will comply with the deadline and submit an updated security plan to the FTA by March 19, 2026.