Guard dogs are coming back to CTA

Three years after deciding it would not use dogs to deter crime, the CTA is bringing K-9 security teams back to the “L.”

The CTA has signed a $30.9 million contract for Action K-9 Security to provide unarmed guards and dogs to patrol train stations, the agency said Wednesday. the CTA previously used K-9s for security, but in 2019 canceled its agreement with a different security firm that struggled to train its guards to handle dogs.

The 18-month contract with Action K-9 comes as the transit agency has faced concerns about rising crime and unpredictable service. The use of guards with dogs, among a series of previously announced safety measures, is part of a broad plan laid out by CTA President Dorval Carter earlier this month intended to address a range of concerns including safety.

Days before Carter unveiled his plan, agency officials and police announced they would be adding more officers and K-9 teams to the system. That announcement followed an earlier one in March, when the two agencies said they planned to add more police officers and supervisors to patrol the transit system, and the CTA would double the number of unarmed private security guards.

The new K-9 teams will be in addition to the extra security guards, CTA officials said in a statement Wednesday. Action K-9 will provide up to 50 dog teams per day. Among other duties, the teams are expected to be located near station turnstiles as a deterrent to fare evasion and to increase the overall security presence at stations, the CTA said.

The transit agency did not specify what other duties the teams would perform or when they would begin their work, saying details were still being finalized.

Dog teams, including those provided by Action K-9, previously patrolled the CTA for years. The agency switched to a new company in spring 2019, then months later ended the contract after learning most dog handler applications for the new guards were deficient.

After pulling the dogs, a CTA spokesperson cited both the training issue and a new approach to security, saying, “we don’t believe canines are the most effective deterrent service.”

Before the 2019 switch, Action K-9 worked with the CTA for six years, the Tribune has previously reported. Action K-9 sued the CTA in Cook County Circuit Court when the agency switched to the new company.

The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed in October 2019, an online docket on the Cook County Circuit Court clerk’s website shows. CTA spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski said rehiring Action K-9 had nothing to do with what happened in 2019.

In a key change from previous patrols, the dog teams will now operate with two unarmed guards per dog, rather than one guard per dog. The CTA said the move will allow handlers to “better handle a variety of situations.”

Hosinski highlighted Action K-9s years of experience providing security dog services as a key difference from the 2019 contractor, which the CTA said was new to offering canine services and subcontracted out portions of the work. Action K-9 will also be working with a subcontractor, First American Security Services, which will only provide security guard services, Hosinski said.

The transit agency said it is working with Action K-9 to make sure all guards have valid dog handler licenses and have undergone the required training before they are sent out on CTA property.

Action K-9 Security executives could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

sfreishtat@chicagotribune.com