‘We are going to get it right’: Dart outlines plans to curb crime on trains, buses

Professionalism, accountability and a safe system for riders are among Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s goals in heading up a regionwide task force tackling crime on public transit.

But whether it’s a brand-new police force providing security for passengers, or a different solution, stakeholders will need to wait until January for answers.

That’s when Dart intends to deliver his recommendations to the Northern Illinois Transit Authority.

“I don’t have any preconceived notions,” Dart said Tuesday. “My guess is at the end of the day, the task force will send the board two or three different recommendations to let them choose from, with the pros and cons.”

Crime on the CTA put safety at the forefront of the 2025 legislation that created NITA, a new entity that will oversee Metra, Pace and the Chicago Transit Authority starting in September.

Lawmakers chose Dart to coordinate a crime task force, which also includes leaders from the Illinois State Police, Chicago Police Department and Metra Police Department.

“The one thing that I’m unmovable on is there has to be a defined security structure where there can be accountability,” Dart said.

“There will be one entity, it’s in charge of the whole thing, so if things are going good, fantastic. If they’re going bad, you need to figure it out, you can’t obfuscate and point the finger.”

Episodes of violence on CTA trains, like a woman being set on fire in November 2025 and four passengers fatally shot in September 2024, have horrified riders. Meanwhile, lesser offenses like vaping or drinking on trains have proliferated.

Metra and Pace haven’t faced the same levels of crime, but the commuter train agency has been through two police department management upheavals in the last 14 years.

“At the end of the day, there has to be an across-the-board expectation of professionalism … no matter where you are, whether you’re on a Metra train or a CTA train,” Dart noted.

Future recommendations will include consistent training and operating procedures for law enforcement, Dart said, adding that transit policing is nuanced and involves a customer service element.

In March, the CTA announced it was adding Chicago police and engaging Cook County sheriff’s officers to walk trains on high-crime lines.

Through Monday, the patrols have resulted in 225 arrests, an 85% reduction in fare evasion on the Red Line and a 77% drop in violent crime in May 2026 compared to May 2025, the sheriff’s office reports. Police also assisted more than 200 people with mental health and substance abuse problems or who were homeless.

Among the lessons learned for the task force is that targeting fare evasion has been central to stemming more serious issues.

“If you start off by entering the system by breaking the law and not paying — what do you think your mind set is when you get on the train?” Dart asked. “Do you think you’re overly concerned about smoking on the train, drinking on the train, playing loud music on the train? Of course not.”

Lax security lends itself “to a sense of lawlessness that there’s no rules here.” By enforcing smaller rules it creates “a much better environment for everybody involved.”

Asked if Metra police could be folded into a systemwide force, Dart said that has yet to be determined and will be evaluated.

Task force members will spend the next six months reviewing data and what’s worked in other jurisdictions.

“We haven’t done it correctly to date,” Dart noted, “and we are going to get it right this time.”