CBS Chicago: Could Armed Security Guards Be Coming To CTA Buses, Trains?

 

[VIDEO] Very interesting armed guards on CTA buses and trains. The last time this was proposed it was back when CTA eliminated the job of conductor on all rail lines just over 20 years ago. There were two people on the train usually at all times and perhaps more than that back when CTA personnel could actually collect fare on the trains - like Metra still does.

I think the transit union proposed a transit police. Other transit authorities around America has their own transit police such as MARTA (Atlanta), BART (San Francisco), or even WMATA (Washington Metro). Of course this is about using armed security not creating a police force for CTA.

It's perfectly reasonable at least from the transit union representative Keith Hill that there are routes on CTA that are in need of a security presence to back up bus drivers and certainly rail operators. They even noted an incident where a disgruntled passenger shot at a bus when the driver requested the passenger wear a face mask.

I do sometimes wish there were some security who could get the homeless off the train once it stops at 95th like they used to. Perhaps another thing the union could ask for.

AP: Chicago police to check bags at CTA stations

If you ride the L be prepared.

Starting Nov. 3, officers will select passengers at random at Chicago Transit Authority stations. Bags will be swabbed for explosives residue but will not be opened. The process takes about 30 seconds.

Also be advised:

[Cmdr. Nancy Lipman of CPD's public transit unit] says anyone refusing to have their bag checked will be denied entry.

Also it was noted in the AP report that there are no specific threats but are to guard against potential terrorist attacks. Such measures have been performed in both in NYC and LA.

Capitol Fax: Chicago’s security priorities

Rich Miller of the Capitol Fax took a brief trip to Chicago this past holiday weekend. Even he sees the need for better priorities for police resources. While it makes sense to take care of downtown Chicago especially on such a busy holiday weekend as the 4th of July, there needs to be a significant police presence in those areas of our city that needs attention.

What do you think about the security priorities in Chicago?

Metal theft prevention tips...

Found this over at EveryBlock posted by Worlee and consider this a follow-up to these to recent stories posted to the blog:

• Tribune: Metal thefts putting homeowners on edge 
• VIDEO: Thieves Target Brass Mailbox Covers In Avalon Park 

Special Service Area funds used to help supplement police patrols?

Not an unheard of idea. In the 9th Ward which contains such neighborhoods as Rosemoor, Roseland, and Pullman, they did have private security patrolling the streets that way.

It's possible that this may come to Chatham in the near future:

Sixth Ward alderman Roderick Sawyer, elected this spring after promising to improve public safety, said the new redeployments won’t address all of his constituents’ concerns. “We do have more officers patrolling the area, which is always a good thing,” he said. “But they can't do it all themselves and we have to acknowledge that.”

So Sawyer says he’s researching the possibility of using special taxing districts to fund a private security force for the community. “We’d get security guards and off-duty cops to patrol, particularly in our residential areas,” Sawyer said. “That might help us crack down on these property issues we’ve been experiencing—the thefts of air conditioners, the lawn mowers stolen. I think we need to do something to combat that.”

The alderman is talking about special service areas, or SSAs—designated districts where property owners pay a little more in taxes for extra services like storefront facade improvements, extra trash pickup and street sweeping, and economic development.

Sawyer isn’t the first person to propose using SSA funds for security. In fact, the southwest side community of Marquette Park began paying $70 a month for private patrols way back in 1994. The policy has been controversial almost ever since. As one Marquette Park resident said in a 2002 story about it for the Reader: “We're paying for the Chicago police—so why are we paying for extra security?”

The issue came up again in 2009, when far south side aldermen Anthony Beale and John Pope wanted to give private security guards the authority to issue citations for parking, litter, and other small infractions. Then-Mayor Richard M. Daley and police superintendent Jody Weis—well aware they didn’t have the money to hire Chicago cops for the work—said they were open to the idea, but it was ripped by the police union and died soon after.

What do you think of this development?

Tighter security puts Cole Park back in play

Tribune:

On a steamy afternoon, young men faced off at Cole Park's basketball court under several watchful eyes: a Park District security team, five Chicago police officers wandering by on patrol and a newly installed security camera perched atop the court.

Don Lampkin, with his graying stubble, also was there, bumping shoulders and driving the lane with boys and men decades younger.

When Thomas Wortham IV and other Chatham neighborhood leaders strategized in recent weeks about how to rid Cole Park of rising violence, they called on the city for more security. But they also knew they would need residents such as Lampkin, a Chatham retiree who is committed to his community and is willing to come out and play.

"I think for the most part they are all good kids," said Lampkin, fit at 60.
...
On the Sunday after Wortham's slaying — during an event to reclaim the park that was long-planned — a Park District official told Lyle that a security car would be assigned to Cole from 3:30 p.m. until the park closes.

The next day, the Police Department installed a camera high above the court.

A week later, a group of local young men — joined by Lampkin — played on the basketball court that was reopened after security was beefed up. The rims had been disabled following the shootings.

"I'm so glad they're doing this, because it was going to get to a serious point," said Darion Simmons, 22, a Southern Illinois University student who regularly plays at the park when he's home on summer break. "I'm here to play basketball."

That it took Wortham's death to get the security in place is not lost on many.

"People are sawing and climbing and putting up security and you say, 'Wow.' That is what it had to take," Lampkin said.

This is great news! As long as there is a visible presence of security and police around Cole Park or any other park where there may be issues hopefully people can come and go as safely as they please.

This is step one, but I hope that there are other things we can do to insure that we can lower the incidents of violence in our community.

Could Wal-Mart provide private security?

On December 18, Chicago Public Radio's 848 broadcast a story talking about how residents in a Gary neighborhood are pooling money to hire private security to patrol their streets.

It's not intended to slam the police, but simply acknowledge that they can't be everywhere all the time.

One thing Wal-Mart could do is partner with local residents to use some of their security to patrol not only the store grounds, but also the neighborhood, and report any suspicious activity.

In addition, perhaps cameras at neighbors' residences could be tied into Wal-Mart's system for a discounted rate, so that if residents so choose, they could get Wal-Mart's help in stopping and preventing crime in the neighborhood (an issue cited by those avidly against Wal-Mart).

If Wal-Mart were to offer a partnership in private security, would you be interested?

A surveillance camera on every street corner?

Sun-Times:

Mayor Daley has argued that security and terrorism won’t be an issue if his Olympic dreams come true because, by 2016, there will be a surveillance camera on every street corner in Chicago.

But even before that blanket coverage begins, the “Big Brother’’ network is being put to better use.

Call takers and dispatchers now see real-time video if there is a surveillance cameras within 150 feet of a 911 call, thanks to a $6 million upgrade to the city’s “computer-aided dispatch” system.

When live video appears, call takers can pan, tilt and zoom those cameras to get the best possible view of a crime or disaster scene.

“As a first responder, I can’t tell you how important it is to have a set of eyes on an emergency scene prior to your arrival. The valuable information they provide from the camera network can ultimately mean the difference between life and death,” said Ray Orozco, executive director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

A camera on every corner, it almost seems like overkill doesn't it?

Via Newsalert!

Homeowner links cameras to city cops

Sun-Times:

Charles Hill installed five surveillance cameras outside the 3,720-square-foot home he's building in West Chatham after local kids broke $3,700 worth of architectural windows.

From now on he won't be the only one checking the video when something bad happens on his block.

Hill has become the first private homeowner to take the city up on its unprecedented offer to connect privately owned exterior surveillance cameras to Chicago's 911 emergency center.

"It'll do wonders for the block. God forbid, something mysteriously happens in the community. Those cameras could provide the city with some edge -- wherever it takes them," Hill said.

"Some people talk about the ACLU and all these privacy rights. But if a crime takes place, those individuals had to come from somewhere. I don't care if it's my brother or my mother. If those cameras do what they're supposed to do, whoever suffers will suffer."

As for the window vandalism, Hill said, "A lot of people said, 'Board the windows up.' I just refused to do it. I caught these kids."

In some respects I would rather this than having Chicago Police cameras all over the place.