Cook County transit crime task force begins prosecutor training to tackle CTA offenses

On March 25, 2026, the Cook County transit crime task force launched a targeted training effort within the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office aimed at strengthening prosecutions of offenses on the Chicago Transit Authority. The initiative will train more than 30 prosecutors and instruct them in seeking court-ordered restrictions barring defendants from specific CTA locations when pretrial detention is not used.

Prosecutors assigned to the unit will receive specialized instruction on handling CTA video evidence, act as liaisons with the Chicago Police Department and CTA on transit-related matters, and maintain data on transit crimes. As part of the program, assistant state’s attorneys have toured CPD’s Strategic Decision Support Centers to study the city’s surveillance capabilities. An internal directive issued March 25 advises prosecutors to request location-based restrictions in felony cases where detention is denied and permits discretion to seek similar limits in misdemeanor matters, while explicitly advising against barring defendants from the entire CTA system.

The office says training began earlier this year and will continue through mid-April. Officials framed the effort as a response to rising incidents on transit and part of broader local and federal scrutiny: the Federal Transit Administration ordered revisions to the CTA’s safety plan, the CTA reported increasing police presence and deputy patrols on March 10, and the Department of Transportation has frozen roughly $3 billion in grants while the CTA has filed suit over the funding pause.