MEMPHIS, Tenn. — CSX has reduced cargo theft in the Memphis area by more than 80% from a year ago through a task force targeting the issue as well as operational changes, the railroad says.
Following a pandemic-era increase in criminal activity, the task force was formed in 2024 to address concerns for customer shipments, employee safety, and the surrounding communities.
“Cargo theft is both a security issue and a policy issue,” Drew Sutter, assistant general counsel for CSX, said in a press release. “On the ground, it requires tactical solutions. Over the long term, it requires sustainable policies that address the broader impact on communities, employees, and customers.”
The effort focuses on the area around the railroad’s Leewood Yard, where trains were vulnerable when stopped for extended period. It brought together groups including local law enforcement and CSX operational teams, and led to security enhancements including 14,000 feet of high security fencing, with an additional 5,000 feet east of the yard; enhanced lighting; access controls; and 30 surveillance cameras.
Operational changes included introduction of two direct trains between Leewood yard and Fairburn, Ga., to reduce dwell time in high-risk areas, as well as coordinated arrival and departure windows to limit trains’ exposure.
The changes produced immediate results and have become a blueprint for addressing similar issues elsewhere, the railroad says.
“As we see incidents like this start to develop into trends, we’ll be able to apply this template going forward,” said Sean Douris, CSX chief of police, public safety, and infrastructure protection. “The goal is to address these problems early, before they reach a larger scale.”
The railroad also released this video on the effort.
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CSX used to have thefts at 59th Street yard until it was found that an employee was tipping off the neighborhood what containers had the high value shipments. After that problem was solved, the thefts dropped dramatically.