The Chicago Transit Authority has ended a multi-million dollar contract that paid for hundreds of unarmed security guards, saying it is redirecting those funds to officers and other trained professionals “better equipped” to keep riders safe.
The cuts to private security were made suddenly on Friday evening, according to Monterrey Security, which got word from CTA that roughly 250 full-time guards working on bus and rail systems should stop working that night.
It was a surprise to the company, which says the CTA had signed a one-year renewal to its contract three weeks earlier.
A spokesperson for Service Employees International Union Local 1 said it represents 159 of Monterrey guards who lost work. The rest worked for subcontractors Kates Detective & Security Agency and Rush Solutions, according to Monterrey Security spokesperson Steve Patterson.
City records show the CTA began a $44 million, three-year contract with Monterrey Security in 2022, with two one-year options to renew.
In a statement, CTA did not address Monterrey Security’s claim that the agency exited the contract early after signing on for its second renewal.
“The CTA is strategically strengthening system security by expanding police presence, K-9 units, and crisis response initiatives,” the CTA said. “Funding previously allocated to unarmed security guards will instead be directed to sworn officers, specially trained professionals and other security resources who are better equipped to help keep riders and staff safe.”
The CTA has increased the presence of police officers on its system in recent months as the result of pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration. Last fall, the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Transit Administration threatened to cut CTA’s funding if it did not address security concerns following a series of high-profile attacks. The threat came as aggravated attacks reported on the CTA reached a 24-year high.
The CTA added dozens of Chicago police officers and K9 units in December, but the federal government said it wasn’t enough. In March, the CTA said it had increased police presence, with the help of new patrols from the Cook County sheriff’s office, by 75%.