The U.S. Attorney’s Office has announced a significant expansion of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) in Chicago, now extending its focus to the economic centers downtown and the entire rail system operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
This initiative, a crucial part of the Department of Justice’s strategy to reduce violent crime, aims to address pressing issues of crime in areas critical to the city’s economy.
Until this point, PSN had been active in seven neighborhoods on the West and South sides of Chicago. The new expansion, announced by U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros, will implement the program in three police districts that encompass the financial zones and in the CTA train network serving these regions, which connects residents and visitors from various neighborhoods and the city’s major airports.
This unprecedented expansion marks the first deployment of PSN on mass transit in the United States, aiming to enhance safety in areas that contribute substantially to the economic vitality of the region.
U.S. Attorney Boutros emphasized the importance of safety in downtown Chicago, stating, “Downtown Chicago is the capital of the region’s economy and the cultural and civic heart of the Midwest, where interstate commerce runs strong.”
He noted that when violent crime disrupts the sense of safety for residents, businesses, and tourists, it adversely affects the economy at all levels.
“Investing PSN resources in our urban economic centers and the public transit system that feeds into them will help foster a downtown that is both safe and welcoming to economic activity,” Boutros explained, reflecting on the collaborative effort needed to implement this initiative.
Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling echoed Boutros’s sentiments, asserting that a partnership with law enforcement and prosecutors is essential in reducing violence.
He stated, “Project Safe Neighborhoods reflects this spirit of collaboration and serves as an important tool in addressing crime in one of the busiest areas of our city.”
Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart highlighted the critical need for additional resources to tackle crimes that threaten the economy, mentioning organized retail theft, carjacking, and armed robberies. Sheriff Dart has allocated significant resources in recent years to combat crime in downtown Chicago and welcomes the PSN expansion.
“Federal resources are critically needed to address the threat that crime poses to the heart of Chicago’s economy and the transportation systems used daily by thousands,” Dart added.
Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the ATF Chicago Field Division, expressed pride in collaborating with multiple law enforcement agencies to expand PSN’s reach.
He remarked, “By combining resources and expertise, we are proactively disrupting violent crime in key transit and economic areas to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors.”
The FBI’s Chicago Division, led by Special Agent-in-Charge Douglas S. DePodesta, reaffirmed its commitment to fighting violent crime through collaboration with law enforcement partners.
“Together we reflect our unwavering commitment to ensure that anyone who seeks to endanger our community will be held accountable,” he stated.
Originally launched in 2001, PSN focuses on the most violent offenders while partnering with local prevention and reentry programs to seek lasting reductions in crime. Its design emphasizes focused enforcement, prevention and intervention, accountability, and community engagement.
As part of the PSN Task Force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates closely to secure federal grants supporting anti-violence strategies in Chicago. The recent designation of downtown economic centers and CTA trains as PSN Enforcement Zones enables the deployment of PSN funds to combat violent crime.
These funds can be used to prosecute violent offenders, hire law enforcement personnel, cover overtime costs for officers working in those areas, purchase equipment for crime reduction efforts, support multi-jurisdictional task forces, provide training, and expand anti-violence messaging, including signage on CTA trains.
The enforcement strategy in these newly designated PSN Enforcement Zones will prioritize the investigation and prosecution of individuals and groups involved in illegal firearm possession, drug trafficking, robberies, carjackings, and other violent crimes.
For those arrested in downtown areas or aboard CTA trains, prosecutors will pursue appropriate charges and seek pretrial detentions, ensuring dangerous individuals are not released and can face substantial prison sentences.
The expansion of the PSN program encompasses all CTA rail lines across Chicago’s neighborhoods. The designated Enforcement Zone spans from Division Street on the Near North Side, reaching between Lake Michigan and La Salle Drive, covering vital areas like the Magnificent Mile, Oak Street corridors, Navy Pier, the Loop, and Millennium Park.
Additionally, it extends to I-55 between Clark Street and Lake Michigan on the Near South Side, including prominent locations like Museum Campus and McCormick Place, and stretches west to Ogden and Ashland Avenues, covering the Fulton Market and West Loop business corridors.
The aim of the PSN expansion is clear: to create a safer downtown Chicago that encourages economic growth and reassures both residents and visitors of their safety. Through strategic partnerships and resource allocation, PSN intends to make a measurable impact on crime reduction in the city’s economic heart.
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