CTA inks contract for unarmed security guards

The Chicago Transit Authority approved a new $10 million contract for unarmed security officers who will help deter graffiti and theft at city and suburban facilities.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported the three-year contract with Digby's Detective & Security Agency Inc. was approved Wednesday. It replaces a $95 million contract with a different firm that was signed in 2009 and expires next month.

CTA Spokeswoman Tammy Chase said the contract is smaller because security guards at CTA facilities no longer are expected to assist customers. That job now falls to the 700 customer service assistance positions the agency created last year.

CTA President Forrest Claypool said the guards aren't there to fight crime. "That's for the Chicago Police Department" he said, adding that they will serve as a "pair of eyes."