Politics
CTA Leaders Tout New Security Plan as Some Operators and Mechanics Protest Outside
Protesters gather outside the Chicago Transportation Authority board meeting on March 11, 2026. (Nick Blumberg / WTTW News)
Chicago Transit Authority leaders on Wednesday touted the agency’s new safety plan, with Acting President Nora Leerhsen hailing “significantly increased law enforcement resources” and “notably increased targets for crime reduction on CTA.”
The monthly meeting of the agency’s board of directors was also marked by protesting CTA operators on the sidewalk outside the agency’s headquarters, and the removal of a disruptive attendee.
The new safety plan, created at the behest of the Federal Transit Administration amid allegations of agency failings to prevent crime against passengers and employees, was submitted Tuesday.
Officials say the effort, created in collaboration with the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, represents a 75% increase in policing hours across the system. In addition to increased CPD patrol hours, Cook County sheriff’s officers will now also have a presence on the system. Other new measures include officers riding along on buses or stationed at bus stops along routes where data collection and operator requests have flagged hotspots. The plan also outlines physical upgrades such as heightened barriers, social service outreach and data-driven deployment focuses.
Directors praised the plan as an example of effective partnerships and quick work. They also encouraged continued work on non-law enforcement safety measures, including improved lighting on stations and at bus stops for passengers riding at night, as well as violence interrupters, transit ambassadors, and social-service focused outreach.
The agency’s head of planning and innovation, Molly Poppe, told directors the agency got a strong response to a recent request for proposals for crisis response and violence interruption teams. The goal is to have those programs up and running by July.
And while directors praised the CTA for a speedy and thorough response to the FTA’s demands, they also sounded notes of caution.
Director Roberto Requejo commended staff for their patience while responding to the FTA’s demands, but he also called for being “very careful about taking advice or direction from a federal government with this track record of respecting the law and enforcing the law,” and encouraged the CTA to continue partnering with community groups and other nonprofits in addition to the security plan.
Beyond highlighting safety efforts, Leerhsen celebrated continued ridership gains on the system, with passengers up 4.6% during the first two months of the year compared to the same time period in 2025.
Wednesday’s meeting was also marked by multiple disruptions. A few dozen members of the ATU Local 241 union representing CTA bus operators and mechanics protested on the sidewalk outside the agency’s headquarters, with their chants and cheers clearly audible inside the boardroom.
“Respect us, protect us, pay us!” workers chanted as they marched up and down the sidewalk outside the building, carrying sirens and bullhorns. “Where’s our protection?”
Although CTA has stressed that union representatives are involved in regular conversations about protecting employees generally and the security enhancement plan specifically, Local 241 President Keith Hill has repeatedly said their concerns aren’t adequately taken into account.
Hill told WTTW News the new safety effort is “an insult to the riders and us as workers … We take pride in moving this city. We should be protected. The passengers should be protected.”
Several workers also stood silently at the back of the board meeting for a time, holding union signage. During her president’s report, Leerhsen said the enhanced safety plan is aimed at the “incredibly important” issue of protecting employees.
As Hill rallied workers, he also called out maintenance workers he says are underpaid and said today’s rally was a “foundation” ahead of upcoming contract renegotiations.
The meeting was also interrupted during the public comment portion when an attendee standing at the back of the boardroom got into a heated disagreement with a CTA staffer, claiming the employee had invaded his personal space. After a second staffer could not defuse the situation, Chicago police officers eventually arrived to escort the attendee out.
Contact Nick Blumberg: [email protected] | (773) 509-5434 | @ndblumberg
