RICHARD J. DURBIN COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

ILLINOIS COMMITTEE ON THE 

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DEMOCRATIC 1WHIP a AND MJMINISTRATION
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March 14, 2017

James A. Squires

CEO

Norfolk Southern Corporation
Three Commercial Place
Norfolk, VA 23510

Dear Mr. Squires,

I write to express my serious concerns regarding multiple major firearm thefts over the
last several years at Norfolk Southem?s 63rd Street Rail Yard on Chicago?s South Side. Three
separate thefts from rail cars containing ?rearms over the last three years have resulted in the
illicit release of weapons onto the streets of Chicago. 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.

The most recent rail yard theft in September 2016 resulted in the thieves making off with
six semi-automatic rifles and nearly 30 handguns. This followed an incident in your rail yard in
2015 when more than 100 ?rearms were stolen, as well another incident in 2014 when 13 semi-
automatic ri?es were stolen. Sixteen of the stolen guns from the 2015 break-in have been
recovered by law enforcement, including one that was used in a January 2016 shooting. These
repeated incidents of gun theft from the 63'?1 Street Rail Yardjeopardize the safety and well-
being of Chicago residents.

To ensure that Norfolk Southern is doing all that it can to prevent guns from being stolen
from rail cars and ending up on Chicago?s streets, I ask that you provide me with information
about the steps that Norfolk Southern is taking to investigate these incidents and prevent such
thefts from happening at its 63rd Street Rail Yard in the future. If you have undertaken or plan to
undertake additional security measures that you are not at liberty to disclose publicly, my staff
and 1 stand ready to meet with you to discuss this matter further.

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,
Richard . Durbin

United States Senator

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