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New CTA Security Cameras At Train Stations Installed Weeks Ahead Of Schedule (VIDEO)

2011-11-30 10:41:59　

 


Some 1,500 new security cameras have been installed at Chicago Transit Authority train stations throughout the city, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and CTA President Forrest Claypool are expected to announce Monday.
The project, first announced in June, has been completed six weeks ahead of schedule. The cameras have been lauded by Emanuel as successful in "assisting police officers solve crimes and ensure the safety of Chicagoans at L stops across the city."
As ABC Chicago reports, the installation of the 1,500 new cameras doubles the number previously in operation at the city's 143 stations. Claypool told ABC that the cameras are high-definition and are able to shoot footage from multiple angles, so he is also confident they will contribute to a decrease in crime at CTA stations. 

The cameras are part of a plan to beef up security through cameras and an increased police presence alike. In June, Claypool said "wolfpack" teams of between four and six officers will ride the trains, in addition to plainclothes, undercover officers stopping by the stations.
The cameras were funded as part of a $16 million U.S. Department of Homeland Security project.
"It should send a message to would-be criminals that we’ll be watching, and using every tool at our disposal to assist the police," Claypool said of the plan in June.
The agency is also in the process of phasing in their new train cars, which come equipped with on-board security cameras. The Pink Line will receive the new cars first, followed by the Green and Red Lines and all the others to follow, WGN reports.
The push for a CTA crime crackdown came amid a bevy of publicity surrounding robberies and other crimes at train stations earlier this year, including the iPhone robbery that led to the death of a 68-year-old Sally Katona-King, who was pushed down the stairs at the Fullerton Red Line stop.