Two days after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the deployment of National Guard troops to enhance security on the New York City subway system, the leader of Chicago’s largest transit worker union called for a similar action in Chicago.
On Wednesday, Governor Hochul disclosed plans to deploy 750 National Guard troops and 250 New York State and MTA police officers in the subway system. This move aims to assist the NYPD in conducting bag checks and preventing weapons from entering trains in response to a recent increase in crime.
On Friday, Keith Hill, president of Amalgamated Transit Union 241, which represents Chicago Transit Authority bus drivers, expressed support for bringing in Illinois National Guard members to bolster security and carry out bag checks on trains and buses.
“The police got their hands tied with everything that’s going on in the city, so any assistance is more than welcome to make passengers, workers, everybody feel safe if they use the system. It’s still the best way around the city, but the only way people are going to realize that is if they feel safe,” Hill told CBS 2 Chicago.
Hill mentioned that the National Guard, CPD mass transit officers and private security guards would add extra security to the city’s transit system, helping to discourage crime.
When asked about worries that bag checks might prolong commutes, especially when riders are already frustrated with limited bus and train services, Hill said, “What’s two minutes of having somebody’s bag checked?”
“You’re arriving at your destination safely. The bag checks are more than welcome because we know for a fact on the bus, people get on with weapons. They have left their weapons on the bus. While asleep, weapons fall out. So a bag check is more than welcome to me, if it makes a person feel safe, it’s ensuring that the passengers can get from A to B, we welcome it,” he said.
Hill added that if Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker want Chicago to have a world-class public transit system, “they need to take accountability for some type of presence and bring that sense of safety to the system.”
“They need to make riders, the workers feel comfortable and safe as we move people throughout this city. So something needs to be looked at, and something needs to be done,” said Hill.
According to CBS 2, a spokesman for Mayor Johnson declined to comment. Though Gov. Pritzker’s office was contacted about this matter, no statement was issued as of this writing.
CBS 2 Chicago contributed to this report.
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