Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Crime

The Belmont Station platform in Lakeview. The stop has recently been a hot spot for crime. Photo: Jeff Zoline

CTA, CPD promise more security on the ‘L’ in the wake of recent Red Line attacks

By Igor Studenkov | Jan 9, 2020 | No Comments

While crime is down systemwide, serious crime has doubled since 2015, and there have been a string of recent attacks and robberies on the Red Line.

The Divvy station at 331 S. Canal St. Image: Google Maps

13 Divvy bikes were slashed with a butcher knife this summer

By John Greenfield | Oct 9, 2019 | No Comments

Divvy thefts weren't a huge issue this summer, but this was a nasty case of seemingly random vandalism.

The Lakefront Trail near Oak Street Beach. Image: Google Street View

There Were Two Robberies of Cyclists on the Near-North Lakefront on Tuesday

By John Greenfield | Aug 5, 2019 | 3 Comments

Several cyclists were attacked on the Lakefront Trail on the south lakefront in Kenwood and Oakland last spring.

Scooter riders on Milwaukee Avenue in River West. Photo: John Greenfield

CPD Reports Detail Incidents From the Early Days of the Scooter Pilot

By John Greenfield | Jul 26, 2019 | 15 Comments

In the first week of Chicago's scooter pilot, scooters were reportedly used as an assault weapon and to vandalize a car. Scooter riders were also injured in run-ins with motorists, potholes, and an angry bicyclist.

The Lakefront Trail near 37th Street. Image: Google Maps

Series of Attacks on Cyclists on the South Lakefront Trail

By John Greenfield | Apr 11, 2019 | 26 Comments

Several cyclists have been approached from behind on the Lakefront Trail in Kenwood, pulled off their bikes and robbed in early April.

A security camera on a CTA train. Photo: CTA

CTA Using Ride-Share Fees to Add 1,000 New Security Cams, Upgrade 3,800 More

By John Greenfield | Feb 27, 2018 | 11 Comments

The $33 million program also includes new lighting, repairs and other improvements will enhance safety at all 146 CTA 'L' stations.

Image: Robert A. Davis via Chicago Reader

Black Residents: Private Guards Would Make Ukrainian Village Less Safe for Walking

By John Greenfield | Jan 18, 2018 | 9 Comments

A white resident has proposed hiring a security patrol, financed by neighbors, in response to a spike in crime. But people of color argue that this could make them the target of racial profiling.

Legalizing 24/7 Commuting on The Bloomingdale Trail Would Make It Safer

By John Greenfield | Feb 24, 2016 | 30 Comments

Last summer, a Chicago Park District spokeswoman told me that, according to the park district code, it’s legal to commute on the Bloomingdale Trail at all times of day. But in the wake of the mugging of a cyclist on the greenway last Friday night, the agency seems to have flip-flopped on the issue – […]