Daily Herald opinion: ‘Get ahead of this right now’: New transit security initiatives must produce more than promise and reports

Operations at the Chicago Transit Authority may not immediately seem a suburban concern, but the truth is that various lines on the CTA carry thousands of suburban commuters into and out of the city every day. And, they probably would carry thousands more — to jobs, entertainment, sporting events and beyond — if suburban residents had confidence the ride would be safe and comfortable.

The same could be said regarding moribund ridership numbers on the suburban-focused Pace Bus and Metra systems.

Public transportation is a highly valued urban and suburban amenity in terms of both convenience and reducing issues of pollution, climate change and simple traffic congestion on roadways, but its appeal is greatly diminished if potential users don’t feel safe.

So, as far as it went, it was encouraging on Monday to hear Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, backed by leaders of the CTA, announce the creation of a task force responsible for improving safety — and perceptions about safety. It is reassuring to sense that law enforcement and rail line leadership are attuned to public concerns about the transportation system and prepared to address them.

It is also true, though, that press conferences and task forces do not improve conditions by themselves. So, the real merit of the initiative Burke announced, as well as a separate undertaking by the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, due to begin operations in a week and a half, remains to be seen — and the waiting is necessarily fraught with uncertainties.

There are hopeful signs. Acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen cited increased Chicago Police Department presence already taking place on trains for improved safety and said serious crime reduced by nearly half from April 2025 through April 2026. Those results are bolstered by a March report from Transit Assets Management America, a public transportation industry research platform, which found that a CTA security surge launched last December after the federal government demanded action resulted in a 19% reduction in violent crime on buses, 9% reduction on the rail system and 9% systemwide in a year-to-year comparison between 2025 and 2026 for the months of December through February.

So, there is evidence that action produces results. If the message O’Neill Burke carried Monday was that more action is coming, that is a welcome one indeed, and it seems supported by her office’s plan to get the Regional Transit Task Force up and running next week, even before the new NITA operation gets under way June 1 with plans for its review, under the direction of Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, to produce recommendations by Dec. 1.

“We decided there is a great and urgent need to get ahead of this right now,” O’Neill Burke told Monday’s press conference.

Those words set the right tone. It’s important to note that with the federal directive, the state’s attorney’s project and NITA’s projected task force, an awful lot of studying is being done. The coordinated involvement of federal, city, county and transit agency resources in all this work is a promising strategy, of course, but they also suggest logistical complications that can bog down implementation of actionable plans.

With a focus on action and results, officials hold the promise of addressing longstanding complaints that have impeded the progress of suburban- and city-focused transit ridership growth. Meeting it can lead to a resurgence of interest in public transportation throughout the Chicago region, including, to be sure, the suburbs.