CTA approves cameras for all train stations

The CTA moved to equip all 144 rail stations with security cameras, the Chicago Tribune reports. The agency's board approved a $4.3-million contract with Teleste Corp. of Georgetown, Texas, to install cameras and related equipment.

The first new cameras will
be installed by the end of the year at 17 stations on the Green Line where
there is a high incidence of pickpocketing and other crimes, said CTA president
Richard Rodriguez. Next in line are 12 Red Line stations that will be monitored
by cameras by the end of next May, officials said.

Currently, cameras are
posted at 45 CTA rail stations.

The CTA has received almost
$18 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to beef up
surveillance of rail stations to better protect the public against potential
terrorism as well as crime.

The new cameras planned for
the stations will be high-resolution devices capable of showing facial features
and other fine details, Rodriguez said.

"If individuals think
their faces are being captured when they walk into our stations, they will
think twice about harassing our passengers," Rodriguez said.

All stations will have the
high-resolution digital cameras by May 31 of next year, he said.