Harpreet Singh-Gilo can count the number of times she’s taken the El on one hand.
“The (riders) are just — I don’t know — they’re weird!”the Weinberg sophomore said. “They try to sell you stuff, they try to talk to you.”
But the Chicago Transit Authority is trying to make the prospect of public transportation less scary by cracking down on solicitors and petty criminals. Five people have been arrested and four banned from the CTA this summer in a program targeting those who commit multiple crimes on the sytem, a CTA spokeswoman said.
The CTA, Chicago Police Department, and Illinois State’s Attorney’s Office launched the Repeat Offender initiative last October. Under the initiative, a person is barred from all CTA trains and buses if arrested twice in one year on CTA property, said Robyn Ziegler, a CTA spokeswoman. People can be banned if they are arrested for being in an unauthorized area (including train tracks), using the system for reasons other than transportation and unlawful sales and soliciting.
Ziegler said if a repeat offender is found riding public transportation while he is “excluded,” the offender will automatically receive jail time.
Three of the men banned from the CTA already have been caught in violation of the ban, Ziegler said. One has been sentenced to prison and the other two are scheduled to appear in court.
“It’s likely that a very small percentage of people commit most crimes (on the CTA),” said David Bayless, a Chicago Police Department spokesman. “Officers that work mass transit every day see the same faces and the same offenders.”
Bayless said it is too soon to tell if the initiative has affected crime rates.
Crime on the CTA has been down 8.4 percent this year and 31 percent since 1999, Bayless said.
“We like to think our presence on trains, buses and our efforts at educating riders has had an impact,” he said.
Theft is the most common crime, Bayless said. The El stops with the most crime reported are also the busiest, such as the stations in downtown Chicago.
Bayless said riders must be aware of their surroundings. Passengers should get off the train or ride where the conductor is if they feel uncomfortable or threatened.
“Criminals pick soft targets,” Bayless said. “Hold valuables close and try not to look vulnerable,” he advised.
Ziegler said although more serious crimes aren’t an issue for the CTA, it is the minor crimes that make riding the system less enjoyable for customers.
“Things like petty theft, pick pocketing and soliciting can keep people from taking public transportation, and it does make people feel unsafe,” she said. “One of the most important things is that the CTA be on time, safe and friendly. Part of that is making people as comfortable as possible.”
Ross Geesman, 20, said the Repeat Offender initiative won’t stop the criminal activity that makes him uneasy.
“Solicitors don’t scare me,” said Geesman, a student at Columbia College in Chicago. “The crimes that scare me usually don’t get caught anyway.”
Geesman said he feels safe riding the bus or the train when they are busy and full. Late at night he doesn’t feel as safe but uses public transportation anyway.
“If they had a security officer on the train that would patrol the train up and down, it would probably dissuade a lot of crime,” Geesman said. “But I don’t think it’s necessary. I think the CTA does a pretty good job.”
