CTA Robberies Down, Thefts Up

By Amy Cavanaugh in News on Oct 27, 2012 7:00PM

Keep your smartphones tucked away, readers—thefts on the CTA increased 16 percent in the first nine months of 2012 when compared with the same period in 2011. According to Chicago police data, thefts increased 42 percent from 2009 through 2011.

But while thefts are up, robberies, which involve force, declined.

The Police Department reported a 25 percent reduction in robberies, but a Tribune analysis using the city's online crime data portal showed a 13 percent decrease. Robberies, which involve force or intimidation, increased by 69 percent from 2009 through 2011, a Tribune analysis done this year found.

On Friday, police reported a 20 percent drop in batteries on the CTA system and a 3 percent decline in assaults from January through September of this year compared with that period in 2011. A Tribune analysis using the crime data portal showed a 5 percent decrease in batteries but a 4 percent decline in assaults, slightly better than the department's official figure.

Authorities credited an increase in video surveillance at stations and on buses and trains, as well as other strategies, for the decline in robberies.