Overview
- The surge launched Friday adds an average of 120 Chicago police officers per day through the off‑duty Voluntary Special Employment Program, up from 77, and increases private K‑9 staffing from 172 to 188, with deployments guided by crime data.
- The FTA deemed the CTA submission “materially deficient,” faulting it for lacking month‑to‑month targets to cut assaults and for failing to show a meaningful net increase in systemwide security hours.
- The notice requires a written response within 30 days and a federally approved revision within 90 days, with up to $50 million—about 25% of certain federal operating funds—subject to withholding until compliance.
- Federal scrutiny intensified after a November Blue Line attack in which 26‑year‑old Bethany MaGee was set on fire; a suspect, Lawrence Reed, faces federal charges.
- CTA says it will respond within the allotted timeframe and is paying for the surge within its 2026 budget, as some workers and riders express skepticism about the measures’ impact on assaults.