CHICAGO, IL – While the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is contending with violent crime reaching record levels not seen in decades, the Trump administration is reportedly eyeing down the possibility of withholding millions in funding due to the aforementioned spike in criminal activity within the CTA.
As it relates to violent crime occurring within Chicago’s transit system, the CTA reportedly endured a 24-year high back in 2025 regarding aggravated batteries and assaults. Reportedly the current year isn’t looking any better either, with the Chicago Sun Times reporting that the “trend has continued into 2026, with those crimes climbing 33% over the same period last year.”
While CTA interim leader Nora Leerhsen is apparently working on securing $50 million in federal grant funding, the Federal Transit Administration has reportedly threatened to withhold said funds if the CTA doesn’t piece together an appropriate plan to address the rising violence occurring within their train and bus systems.
Despite crime overall seeing a decline within CTA’s routes and stations, namely cases of robbery and theft, violent crime has become a notable topic. High profile cases like that of Bethany MaGee, who was released from the hospital last month after being doused with gasoline and set on fire last November while riding on the CTA Blue Line train, has afforded the CTA with an unsavory national spotlight regarding violent crime.
Since 2020, the CTA has had a consistent uptick year over year on instances of aggravated batteries and assaults occurring within their systems, yet David Olson, who serves as the co-director of the Center for Criminal Justice Research at Loyola University Chicago, is downplaying this trend saying that not every violent crime within the CTA involves “someone lit on fire.”
“Every crime is not what you see on TV. Every violent crime is not a murder of a police officer,” Olson stated, adding, “And every crime on the CTA does not involve someone lit on fire. That’s a challenge for the public… There are different forms of battery and assault.”
CTA interim leader Leerhsen has apparently boasted of the increased presence of officers, many of whom are working overtime shifts, on transit routes, citing a 55 percent increase which translates to approximately 120 officers working the CTA per day. However, the Federal Transit Administration believes that uptick in officers allocated isn’t enough and is giving the CTA until mid-March to develop a concrete solution to the matter.
As it relates to violent crime occurring within Chicago’s transit system, the CTA reportedly endured a 24-year high back in 2025 regarding aggravated batteries and assaults. Reportedly the current year isn’t looking any better either, with the Chicago Sun Times reporting that the “trend has continued into 2026, with those crimes climbing 33% over the same period last year.”
While CTA interim leader Nora Leerhsen is apparently working on securing $50 million in federal grant funding, the Federal Transit Administration has reportedly threatened to withhold said funds if the CTA doesn’t piece together an appropriate plan to address the rising violence occurring within their train and bus systems.
Despite crime overall seeing a decline within CTA’s routes and stations, namely cases of robbery and theft, violent crime has become a notable topic. High profile cases like that of Bethany MaGee, who was released from the hospital last month after being doused with gasoline and set on fire last November while riding on the CTA Blue Line train, has afforded the CTA with an unsavory national spotlight regarding violent crime.
Since 2020, the CTA has had a consistent uptick year over year on instances of aggravated batteries and assaults occurring within their systems, yet David Olson, who serves as the co-director of the Center for Criminal Justice Research at Loyola University Chicago, is downplaying this trend saying that not every violent crime within the CTA involves “someone lit on fire.”
“Every crime is not what you see on TV. Every violent crime is not a murder of a police officer,” Olson stated, adding, “And every crime on the CTA does not involve someone lit on fire. That’s a challenge for the public… There are different forms of battery and assault.”
CTA interim leader Leerhsen has apparently boasted of the increased presence of officers, many of whom are working overtime shifts, on transit routes, citing a 55 percent increase which translates to approximately 120 officers working the CTA per day. However, the Federal Transit Administration believes that uptick in officers allocated isn’t enough and is giving the CTA until mid-March to develop a concrete solution to the matter.
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