(The Center Square) – As the number of crimes committed at Chicago Transit Authority stations rises sharply, Tio Hardiman, executive director of Violence Interrupters, is demanding top city officials do more to keep passengers safe.
New data shows that more than 1,300 crimes were reported through September last year, representing the most crimes committed across the system since the pandemic began. Since Green Line and Red Line riders are among those most likely to become victims and battery is the most common offense, statistics show that about 1.3 in every 100,000 trips through the system ended with a crime.
“The majority of crimes that occur on the CTA train system could have been prevented,” Hardiman told The Center Square. “On behalf of Violence Interrupters, I have offered my assistance to CTA. My Violence Interrupters have relationships with some of the at-risk young people who ride these trains looking for crimes and on a few occasions we have been able to persuade young boys to rob and hurt people. We know how to detect potentially violent situations before they become violent. There are also other organizations that do good work.”
Researchers find that the Green Line stop in the heart of Englewood is at 63rd and Ashland is home to the highest crime rate between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024, at about 1.9 for every 100,000 trips. Overall, about 1.3 in 100,000 trips systemwide ended with a crime, with battery being the most common violation and Green Line riders among those most likely to become victims.
Hardiman said it should come as no surprise to anyone that the most rampant crime is in neighborhoods like Englewood and the West Chatham area.
“It’s the same when it comes to gun violence,” he said. “In Englewood, it comes in as No. 2, so a lot of the crime happens in the Chatham area and the Greater Grand Crossing area, for example. Those trains run through those areas.”
Hardiman further argued that it could easily be a win-win situation for the city if more organizations like Violence Interrupters weighed in on what the solution would be.
“We can implement a pilot program on the Green Line or the Red Line and look at the numbers and mediate a lot of the conflicts that are happening on those trains,” he said. “We could also have support organizations with us where we can offer help to those young boys. Someone may want to join a job program, an alternative school system, or find some kind of vocational training initiative to get them off the train and commit crimes, because we will be working with them on a regular basis, changing the way they think about victimizing people. ”
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