CTA Violent Crime Back To Normal Levels After July Spike; Overall Rate Remains High
CHICAGO (CBS) – Violent crime on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has returned to normal rates after the most violent month on Chicago's public transit system in recent years.
With 115 violent crime incidents, July saw more serious incidents on CTA than all other months in recent years, according to an analysis of publicly-available crime data by CBS 2. But despite the alarming spike, the overall violent crime rate on CTA fell back to around normal levels in August.
The violent crime rate on CTA has only surpassed 100 reported incidents per month only two other times since 2001 — both times in late 2010, nearly a decade ago, the analysis shows.
Related: CTA Crime Up More Than 60% Between June And July
Despite this return to normal, violent crime on CTA is up substantially compared to recent years.
After a rash of violent crimes on CTA property between 2010 and 2011, the rate of violent crimes on CTA fell to an average of about 45 violent crimes per month in 2014. That number has risen steadily since then, hovering at an average of 64 violent crimes in 2018 — more than two violent incidents on CTA property every single day.
These new figures come after a series of violent incidents on CTA trains and buses, CBS 2 has reported.
In early August, CBS 2's Cesar Rodriguez reported a 16-year-old was beaten and slashed with a knife during a robbery on the CTA Pink Line. That incident followed two similar incidents in the area, CBS 2 reported.
Days later, another attack on CTA left a group of festival-goers in Boystown fearful for their safety after a group of teens allegedly attacked them at the Roosevelt CTA Red Line station, CBS 2 reported.
