Russell is no stranger to bizarre incidents on the bus. He suffered a broken nose and jaw as well, Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti said during a bond hearing Friday. The 52-year-old driver was beaten so badly that he lost a tooth, will need corrective gum surgery. Congress that would seek to protect operators by adding barriers and training drivers to help de-escalate hostile encounters.COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE - A CTA bus passenger went on a frozen chicken-swinging rampage last week, first attacking a woman with a bag of chicken and then savagely beating the bus driver, prosecutors said.Ĭaleb Russell, 27, became enraged when a woman wouldn't flirt with him Wednesday - so he attacked the woman with the chicken before setting his sights on the driver, according to authorities. He did not have a cost yet for the pilot program - he said the TV monitors would be rolled out by the end of the year on a limited basis and tested for customer feedback.Īttacks on bus drivers are an issue for the Amalgamated Transit Union nationally, which is supporting a bipartisan bill in the U.S. “We think it will help increase awareness of the security cameras and serve as a deterrent,” said Steele. These would be similar to the screens in some stores that show a security-camera view of shoppers. The agency also will be trying out TV-monitor screens that hang at the front and center of the bus that will show customer information and have the capability of showing live feeds from the buses’ interior security cameras, Steele said. The committee also will explore pushing for tougher legal penalties for operator assaults. “If you can ban a person from a store or a place of business, you can ban them from the bus,” said Hill.Įarly this past summer, CTA President Dorval Carter established a new committee to reduce operator assaults, which will include doing more data analysis, Steele said. The union also seeks more training for drivers, to teach them how to better defuse situations, and it wants the CTA to be able to ban some people permanently from public transit. The union favors a barrier that completely shields the driver - similar to the way a rail operator is fully enclosed - with a window that allows drivers to interact with passengers but can be shut quickly in case of an emergency, Hill said.Ī CTA bus driver picks up passengers in a bus supplied with a polycarbonate protective shield at 67th Street and Jeffery Avenue in Chicago on Sept. “We want to be fully enclosed,” said Hill. Hill said current barriers are inadequate and can be easily pulled back by passengers. The agency upgraded its bus communications systems in 2014, providing drivers a link to the CTA control center. The CTA is also adding security cameras and extra lighting to bus turnarounds. Neither completely encloses drivers, and some buses have no barriers at all.Įach bus has up to 10 security cameras, Steele said. Older buses have partial shields, while newer ones have full doors, Steele said. Steele said most buses are equipped with operator barrier shields, which are made from a strong, clear polycarbonate called Lexan. CTA bus driver Dexter Jackson prepares to leave in a bus supplied with a polycarbonate protective shield at 47th Street and Lake Park Avenue in Chicago on Sept.
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