CTA president defends safety after Blue Line mass shooting: 'very isolated incident'
CHICAGO - CTA President Dorval Carter reassured riders Tuesday that Chicago’s transit system remains safe despite a recent mass shooting on the Blue Line that left four people dead.
Speaking at a rare press conference, Carter condemned the attack but emphasized it was an isolated incident.
"This is a very isolated incident. I can tell you in my career at CTA, I’ve never seen anything like a mass shooting," Carter said. He sought to calm concerns about security on the CTA, which has allocated $65.2 million to security measures this year alone.
Carter acknowledged that preventing all crime on such a vast system is a challenge, given the CTA’s extensive network.
"You’re talking about a system that has 145 rail stations, 1,500 rail cars, 1,800 buses, covers almost 240 miles of track, and over 1,500 miles of bus routes," he said. "It is huge, and we’re obviously focused on how to address that as best as possible."
The CTA has deployed more than 30,000 surveillance cameras, installed in every station and on every train car, and 300 security guards patrol the system. Additionally, a dedicated Chicago police unit is assigned to patrol trains and buses 24/7.
Recently, the CTA also began testing new AI technology called Zero Eyes, which uses 250 cameras to purportedly detect firearms at stations. However, Carter confirmed that the technology was not in place on the section of the Blue Line where the shooting occurred.
"As you know, that technology has just been rolled out in the last couple of weeks," he said. "It was not a factor in this particular case."
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Carter revealed that the four victims were sleeping on the train at the time of the shooting.
Alderman Andre Vasquez (40th Ward), who has previously called for Carter’s resignation over reliability and transparency issues, expressed concern over the presence of homeless individuals sheltering on CTA trains, saying the shooting highlights their vulnerability.
"The inability of CTA leadership to address the homelessness that’s happening on trains is something that needs to be looked at," Vasquez said.
Carter responded by noting that the CTA has increased efforts to assist homeless individuals on the transit system.
"We have provided more resources to support people who are homeless on the CTA than ever in the history of our agency," Carter said, citing partnerships with social service agencies that work with the homeless population on the CTA.
Still, Carter emphasized that solving homelessness requires more funding and support beyond what a transit agency can provide.