At its August Board Meeting, RNRA welcomed three new Directors: Michele Berman, Eileen Murray, and Debra Schalk. Each brings a wealth of experience, expertise, and imagination, along with the requisite love of River North. Their ideas and passion will be welcome additions to the leadership team.

For 25 years, RNRA has fought to protect quality of life in our community. Like many non-profits, RNRA has been severely impacted by recent events and has launched an urgent fundraising appeal. If you value principled & effective neighborhood advocacy, please support RNRA with a donation by visiting our GoFundMe page.

Thank you.

Join us as we celebrate the end of summer and the start of a new school year with games, activities, treats and more! Come for the party – stay for the season’s last Movie in the Park – Disney Picture’s “Encanto.” Participation is free – but registration is required no later than August 12.  

To print a copy of this flyer, CLICK HERE.

For Immediate Release
August 10, 2022

CTA Renews Agreement with CPD for Additional Police Resources
New agreement offers increased pay for off-duty officers who volunteer to patrol CTA

As part of its ongoing commitment to making Chicago’s public transportation system even safer for both customers and employees, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) today announced the renewal of an ongoing agreement with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) for volunteer, off-duty officers to patrol CTA properties.

Earlier today, the Chicago Transit Board authorized an intergovernmental agreement between the CTA and the City of Chicago for additional police security services on CTA property through CPD’s Voluntary Special Employment Program (VSEP).

“The extension and enhancement of this invaluable program for volunteer officers to patrol the CTA is the latest in a series of steps taken by both CTA and CPD in recent months to provide everyone with a safer transit riding experience,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “We remain steadfast in our commitment in ensuring customer and employee safety is our No. 1 priority, and we will continue to work with CPD to identify new ways to boost crime deterrence.”

Under this three-year agreement, covering 2022-2025, CTA will be provided additional sworn police officers who volunteer to police the CTA system on their days off and who will be supervised by full-time, dedicated CPD supervisors.

Among the improvements made to the longstanding program was an increase in pay for volunteer officers. CTA will now reimburse CPD for services provided by off-duty officers at one-and-a-half times the particular officer’s regular straight time rate, including premium pay when applicable.

The use of VSEP officers is in addition to plans recently announced by CPD to assign additional police officers to CTA trains and platforms. The CTA and CPD continue to build upon their decades’ long partnership and leverage a number of tools and measures to deter crime.

Each day, officers from CPD and its dedicated Public Transportation Section are strategically deployed across our system, complemented by CTA’s teams of unarmed guards. Unarmed guards are deployed seven days a week to help educate and inform riders of rules for traveling CTA; and also patrol the system to keep an eye out for and report any suspicious activity or acts of crime.

On Monday, August 1st, Alderman Reilly joined Lisa Dent and Steve Bertrand on WGN’s Chicago’s Afternoon News Radio. They discussed the extension of the City’s contract with Lollapalooza, NASCAR, violence in the City, and new pedicab restrictions that Alderman Reilly proposed to City Council last month.  Please click here to listen to the radio interview.

©Walt Disney Pictures

Each Summer since 2006, the River North Residents Association has hosted a series of outdoor films for residents and visitors. Community input is collected via an online survey and the selected films are shown in beautiful A.Montgomery Ward Park, located on the riverfront at Kingsbury and Erie. 

Join us Tuesday night, August 16th for Encanto.

• As a reminder, there is a DFA (Dog Friendly Area) located in the north section of Ward Park along Larrabee, but Park District rules prohibit dogs in the south section of the park where films are shown. 
• The films begins at dusk, weather permitting.
• There are no public bathrooms in or near Ward Park.
• For more information, visit chicagoparkdistrict.com or call 312.742.7529 or 312.747.2001 (TTY)
• Call the Movies in the Parks hotline for daily listings and weather-related cancellations at 312.742.1134
• Use the My Chi Parks mobile app, or check RNRAChicago.org or RNRA Facebook page.
• Movies in the Parks is presented by the Chicago Park District as part of the Mayor’s  2022 Night Out in the Parks initiative.

Thank you Sgt. Chris Schenk from our 18th District CPD, the RNRA Public Safety Committee and everyone that came out for the July 27 Walk & Talk. To find out more about the 18th District Court Advocacy Program, go to https://rnrachicago.org/court-advocacy-program/ Keep informed: https://twitter.com/ChicagoCAPS18

Attend your September Beat Meetings.  Your beat meetings are the place to connect with your beat officers, discuss issues and come up with solutions. We encourage all residents to attend their beat meetings.  Beat meetings are now held in person.