THE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC WORKS OF CHICAGO TESTIFIED ABOUT PLANS FOR AN EXPERIMENTAL INSTALLATION OF CLOSED-CIRCUIT TV CAMERAS ON FOUR HIGH-CRIME SUBWAY PLATFORMS TO DETER CRIME BY INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF APPREHENSION. EVALUATION RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT WOULD BE USED IN DECIDING WHETHER TO EXTEND TV SURVEILLANCE TO ALL PLATFORMS. REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY (CTA) REPORTED THE TRAINING OF 92 TRANSIT AIDES WHO WILL RIDE TRANSIT VEHICLES IN A SPECIAL UNIFORM FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERRING CRIME; AIDES WILL NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY OF POLICE AND ARE EXPECTED TO RADIO FOR POLICE HELP WHEN AUTHORITATIVE INTERVENTION IS REQUIRED. A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT TESTIFIED ON POLICE EFFORTS TO DETER AND DEAL WITH CRIME ON MASS TRANSIT FACILITIES. SUCH EFFORTS INCLUDE THE RANDOM BOARDING OF VEHICLES BY POLICE AND THE RIDING OF VEHICLES FOR THEIR FULL ROUTES. PLAINCLOTHES OFFICERS ARE ASSIGNED TO RIDE HIGH-RISK ROUTES. REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE TRANSIT EMPLOYEES UNION TESTIFIED ABOUT PARTICULAR DANGERS TO EMPLOYEES FROM CRIME. POORLY MAINTAINED ALARM AND RADIO EQUIPMENT FOR DRIVERS AND TICKET BOOTHS WERE CITED, AND THE NEED FOR A SPECIAL TRANSIT SECURITY FORCE WITH POLICE AUTHORITY WAS ARGUED. (RCB)