An organization for Chicago cab drivers is urging the city to make changes regarding driver security after one of their own was shot and killed by a passenger Friday night.
Chinedu Lambert Madu, a 51-year-old cab driver for Chicago Carriage Cab, was fatally shot in the chest in what police say was an apparent armed robbery on the 1200 block of South Albany Avenue.
Madu, an immigrant from Nigeria, worked long hours to support his wife and son in Chicago as well as his parents and siblings in his home country, family members said.
Charges are pending against the suspect who shot Madu.
The United Taxidrivers Community Council (UTCC) is hoping this tragic incident will lead to some security changes to better protect cab drivers. Among their proposed changes is the addition of extra personnel to the city's Public Vehicle Inspection Facility. They say only one person is authorized to access footage from security cameras inside cabs, but if the person is not at work, investigations can be delayed.
The organization further criticized security camera systems in Chicago cabs because the video footage for some systems is only contained inside the camera, meaning if the camera is lost or destroyed, the footage is lost as well.
The camera inside the Chicago Carriage Cab that Madu was driving does not fit that criteria, however. The camera that was in the cab, a product of VerifEye Technologies, which provides all of the cameras for Chicago Carriage Cab vehicles, has a kind of "black box" that stores footage elsewhere in case the camera itself is lost or damaged, according to Dan Fedor, the director of U.S. sales for the company.
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"Driving a cab in Chicago is a dangerous job, as we serve all members of the public at all times," UTCC said in a statement.
The organization said it is working with the the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection to address their security concerns.
They will also launch a fundraising campaign to help support Madu's family.
"But for now we mourn the loss of one of our brothers," UTCC said.
