'Project Safe Neighborhoods' expanding to downtown Chicago, transit for first time

Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune on Jun 4, 2025

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CHICAGO — A long-running federal anti-violence program will be expanding to downtown Chicago and mass transit for the first time this summer, enhancing the investigation and prosecution of gun crimes, drug trafficking, robberies and carjackings at a time when city violence typically spikes.

The creation of a new downtown zone for the program, Project Safe Neighborhoods, is the first public initiative announced by U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, who took office two months ago and has said that curbing violence is at the top of his to-do list.

“Downtown Chicago is the capital of the region’s economy and the cultural and civic heart of the Midwest, where interstate commerce runs strong,” Boutros said in a statement. “Many billions of dollars of revenue, taxes, and investments are anchored in our city’s financial districts, and when violence and criminal activity cause our residents, businesses, and tourists not to feel safe to live, invest, and shop in Chicago, everyone suffers, whether at the federal, state, or local level.”

Since its inception in the early 2000s, Project Safe Neighborhoods has been deployed in neighborhoods on the West and South sides of the city historically plagued by gangs, poverty and violence. Currently, there are seven “zones” where PSN resources are used, each overseen by a coordinator in the U.S. attorney’s office.

The expansion includes parts of three police districts in downtown financial zones as well as on the CTA trains that serve neighborhoods across the city and O’Hare and Midway airports.

It marked the first time anywhere in the country that Project Safe Neighborhoods will be deployed on mass transit, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Both Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart expressed their support for the initiative in a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office.

“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,” Snelling said. “The expansion of this program builds on the progress CPD is making in combating crime citywide.”

Dart said the new investment of federal resources “is critically needed to address the threat that crime — including organized retail theft, carjacking, and armed robberies — pose to the heart of Chicago’s economy” as well as to the city’s mass transit system.

Originally launched in 2001, Project Safe Neighborhoods is a federally funded, nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state and local law enforcement and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

Participating agencies include the Chicago Police Department, the FBI, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Cook County sheriff’s office.

The federal grants will be used to hire new law enforcement personnel, pay overtime to officers patrolling trains and downtown locations, obtain equipment and training and provide anti-violence messaging, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

“For violent offenders arrested downtown or aboard CTA trains, criminal prosecutors will bring appropriate charges to achieve maximum deterrence and will seek pretrial detention and substantial prison sentences for defendants who pose a danger to the community,” the statement said.

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