§ 2.11.15

Illinois § 2.11.15

• Jurisdiction: Illinois
• Topic: GOVERNMENT
• Ch. 70: SPECIAL DISTRICTS
• Act 70 ILCS 3615/: Regional Transportation Authority Act.
• Art.: Article II - Powers

Text

(This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a delayed effective date ) Sec. 2.11.15. Office of Transit Safety and Experience. (a) The Authority shall establish an Office of Transit Safety and Experience. (b) The Office shall be responsible for: (1) developing, implementing, and overseeing a regionwide safety strategy, working with the Coordinated Safety Response Council; (2) promoting code of conduct compliance and the safety of riders and workers; (3) developing safety standards under subsection (a) of Section 2.11.30; (4) making recommendations relating to system safety for inclusion in the Authority's Strategic Plan, Annual Budget and 2-Year Financial Plan, 5-Year Capital Program, and other projects and programs; (5) making any reports and plans regarding rider and worker safety required under this Act; (6) overseeing the enforcement and facilitation of the achievement and maintenance of safety standards, the implementation of safety tools and technologies, and the conducting of customer satisfaction polling under Section 2.11; (7) coordinating and liaising with law enforcement agencies, the Task Force, social service agencies, and other government agencies or nongovernmental agencies serving the metropolitan region on safety issues and initiatives; (8) strategizing and partnering with law enforcement agencies as appropriate to ensure as much as possible that the response to safety incidents on public transit facilities occurs pursuant to the sworn law enforcement officer crime prevention program on public transportation, the crime prevention plan to protect public transportation employees and riders in the metropolitan region, and the incident response deployment strategy developed by the Safety Coordination Council; (9) developing and overseeing policies and programs to assist riders in their use of the transit system and to connect them to other beneficial government and social services, including through partnerships and contracts with social service agencies and nongovernmental agencies that conduct outreach and provide assistance to unhoused riders; (10) collecting and analyzing data on safety incidents occurring on public transportation in the metropolitan region; and (11) developing and implementing policies and procedures for riders to provide compliments and complaints about their experiences on public transportation in the metropolitan region. (c) The Executive Director of the Authority shall, subject to the Board's approval, designate a full-time Chief Transit Safety Officer to lead and manage the Office of Transit Safety and Experience. The Chief Transit Safety Officer shall have previously served in a supervisory capacity at a law enforcement agency and report directly to the Executive Director. The Chief Transit Safety Officer shall receive the same training that all members of the Coordinated Safety Response Council receive under subsection (h) of Section 2.11.20. (d) Personnel within the Office for Transit Safety and Experience may be organized or assigned into bureaus, sections, or divisions as determined by the Executive Director pursuant to the authority granted by this Act. (e) To implement this Section, the Authority may establish intergovernmental agreements with law enforcement agencies in accordance with the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act. (f) To implement this Section, the Authority shall enter into contracts with nongovernmental agencies to provide, or create using the staff of the Authority, programs that offer outreach and assistance to riders that are unhoused, that suffer from mental health issues, or that otherwise may benefit from social services in order to implement the recommendations of the study conducted by the Coordinated Safety Response Council within 12 months of the delivery of the report. (g) Law enforcement agencies that are party to intergovernmental agreements and nongovernmental agencies that enter into contracts with the Authority to implement the sworn law enforcement officer crime prevention program on public transportation, the crime prevention plan to protect public transportation employees and riders in the metropolitan region, the incident response deployment strategy, or a combination thereof may claim funds to defray increased costs incurred by participation in those programs from any available moneys provided in support of the programs. (h) The Chicago Police Department shall use any resources provided to implement the sworn law enforcement officer crime prevention program on public transportation, the crime prevention plan to protect public transportation employees and riders in the metropolitan region, the incident response deployment strategy or combination thereof to supplement, not supplant, existing force strength currently assigned to the Mass Transit Unit within the Chicago Police Department.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 104-457, eff. 6-1-26.)