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Railroads take steps to stop criminals from stealing guns, copper
March 2017
Rail News: Security
Railroads take steps to stop criminals from stealing guns, copper
By Daniel Niepow, Associate Editor
Norfolk Southern Railway's Chicago-area yards have become popular spots for gun thieves over the past few years. In May 2014, criminals snatched 13 assault-style rifles from cars near the Class I's 63rd Street yard, according to a Chicago Tribune report.
A year later, two men were charged with federal gun crimes after they nabbed more than 100 firearms from parked trains on the city's South Side, the Chicago Sun-Times reported in June 2015. ... There was yet another gun robbery from the 63rd Street yard in 2016.
This steady supply of guns has helped fuel violent crime in the Chicago area, local news media reported earlier this month. One stolen Ruger revolver was used in a January 2016 shooting.
Following news reports of the thefts, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) pressed the railroad to explain how it plans to address the issue. In a March 14 letter to NS Chief Executive Officer James Squires, Durbin wrote that "it's clear that more needs to be done by Norfolk Southern to properly secure the 63rd Street rail yard and any potentially dangerous freight shipments stored there."
Rail News: Security
Railroads take steps to stop criminals from stealing guns, copper
By Daniel Niepow, Associate Editor
Norfolk Southern Railway's Chicago-area yards have become popular spots for gun thieves over the past few years. In May 2014, criminals snatched 13 assault-style rifles from cars near the Class I's 63rd Street yard, according to a Chicago Tribune report.
A year later, two men were charged with federal gun crimes after they nabbed more than 100 firearms from parked trains on the city's South Side, the Chicago Sun-Times reported in June 2015. ... There was yet another gun robbery from the 63rd Street yard in 2016.
This steady supply of guns has helped fuel violent crime in the Chicago area, local news media reported earlier this month. One stolen Ruger revolver was used in a January 2016 shooting.
Following news reports of the thefts, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) pressed the railroad to explain how it plans to address the issue. In a March 14 letter to NS Chief Executive Officer James Squires, Durbin wrote that "it's clear that more needs to be done by Norfolk Southern to properly secure the 63rd Street rail yard and any potentially dangerous freight shipments stored there."