Policing Public Transit

"Police first must develop a reliable method for measuring important statistics that accurately relate the condition of the transit system in terms of security. These strategic measurements should be broad-based enough to provide a picture of the security needs of the entire system and take into account subjective assessments by passengers of transit security. With this information, police and transit authority officials can develop specific proactive strategies to enhance security throughout the transit system. The ultimate goal should be to make riders feel safe by ensuring that they are safe."

Kurt R. Nelson, F.B.I Law Enforcement Bulletin, January 1997

In a previous post, I less than eloquently pontificated about the environment on Sacramento Regional Transit light rail trains and buses as it relates to me, the driver/operator.

Remembering that as a youngster I took advantage of RT throughout my wonder years, and I have family and close friends who rely on the system everyday, I want to share my .0000000002 cent's on the "State of Safety" throughout our lovely public transit system.

My observation of Regional Transit Protection Services is this-

Ineffective, Inept, Lacking accountability, Zero oversight, Did I mention lacking Accountability?

"If the level of crime and disorder becomes so high that it has a measurable impact on the public's perception of safety, the number of riders will decrease either on the entire system or on specific routes or lines."

Kurt R. Nelson, F.B.I Law Enforcement Bulletin, January 1997

Wow, pretty simple if you think about it. Ensure that people "feel" safe when riding the transit system....and when they feel safe, they tell their neighbors, and then their neighbors tell others and so it goes....

Ridership increases, and I become more relevant...you as a passenger are conceptually safer.

Conceptual reality is nice, it pacifies us.

Pacification only goes so far.

Contact your local elected member of the RT Board of Directors should you have any questions or concerns, these folks direct policy.....

Policy affects everyone who depends on RT for service.

Blue Line (South Line) on Friday & Saturday Night

Riding Dirty, on RT....

Has your bus driver been Beat by a thug?

So.....I might be treading on some water that just might drown me.

When passengers bitch and moan to me about stuff that happens on the train, I usually nod my head and apologize on behalf of Regional Transit. Usually, this quells the rants and sometimes it only enrages people to the point that they attempt to assault me or something like that. More often than not, they are drunkards, and fall down to the concrete whilst swinging at my lovely face.

I'm one handsome train driver....

But, let me swerve back to the point.

Regional Transit contracts with both the City of Sacramento and the County of Sacramento for enforcement and protection of "every inch" of the transit system in Sacramento.

Um...yeah.

I have searched all over the web, including Sac PD Crime mapping, and Sac County Sheriff Crime mapping and I see incidents near, adjacent, even ON light rail platforms. Since they are folded into the UCR (Universal Crime Report) statistics, most people have no idea when or where the crime was committed. It's a numbers game, and RT plays the odds better than poker after dark on NBC..

Not suprising that I could find no specific information related to assaults, incidents or crimes committed against Bus operators.

I would guess, with relative accuracy that Bus drivers in Sacramento are Assaulted at a rate of 2 per week, at a minimum. Please recognize this is my non-scientific assertion as a bus driver in Sacramento.

My question is this.....

What is more important?

The mantra that the wheels on the bus move no matter what happens is long gone. If the safety of a bus driver is in question, so is that bus drivers passengers.

And...in the end.

Who is responsible for everything that happens on his or her coach?

The BUS OPERATOR.

Bravo?

Do you feel safe riding the bus or light rail in Sacramento?

If you feel unsafe, imagine how I feel. Knowing that I am responsible for the safety and well being of every passenger aboard my bus or train, I also am often just as afraid as most passengers are of what lurks in the public transit environment...but hey thats what I signed up for, right?

In the article below, you will gather an idea of how something left unabated becomes a very dangerous situation for all of those involved. I'm not comparing Sacramento RT to Detroit Public Transportation, but like I said things get out of hand fast.

This article from the Detroit Free Press
paints the picture of what happens when things get out of hand.

May 24, 2007

BY MARISOL BELLO and SUZETTE HACKNEY

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS

"The return of 850 City of Detroit bus drivers after Wednesday's walkout is contingent on an understanding that the Detroit City Council will vote today on a $12-million federal grant to allow Wayne County sheriff's deputies to patrol city buses.

But a council vote is not certain.

"It's a strong possibility, but I would definitely stop short of saying it's a guarantee," said Council President Kenneth Cockrel Jr.

Detroit Public Schools officials said they will run school buses on 33 bus lines for those students who normally ride Detroit Department of Transportation buses, should the walkout continue today.

The drivers, saying they were frustrated that the city had not policed the buses for almost two years, walked off the job at 3 a.m. Wednesday, they say, to send a message to the council, which two weeks ago voted down the grant.

"We're going back to work, but somebody's got to wake up," said Desi Smith, a driver for 19 years. "We were alerting the city before it's too late.

"If they don't decide, we're not driving," said Smith, who two months ago had a gun pulled on her by a motorist in a road rage incident.

One day without the buses was enough for riders who spent the day walking, trying unsuccessfully to flag down SMART buses, calling friends and relatives for rides or piling into taxis. Officials with SMART, the bus system that runs primarily in the suburbs, said they don't offer local service along the routes they run in Detroit.

Eric Young, 18, stood at a bus stop at Gratiot near State Fair, oblivious to the fact that no public transportation was coming to pick him up. The east-side resident said he caught a snippet on television about the work stoppage before leaving home but was rushing and didn't hear the details.

He catches a DDOT bus and transfers to a SMART bus daily to attend an adult education school in Clinton Township. By 9:30 a.m., he conceded that he wasn't going to make it to class Wednesday.

"I'm pretty sure they had a right to protest, especially if it's for their safety," Young said.

"I'm not angry; I just wish I would have known about it."

Drivers complain that the council has been debating the issue with little progress for five months and in the meantime, they say their colleagues are getting relentlessly attacked. They said two drivers were beaten on their routes in the last two days.

Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's administration spent the day scrambling to get the drivers back on the buses and convince enough council members to vote for the contract.

Deputy Mayor Anthony Adams, who is in charge of city business while the mayor continues a vacation with his wife, announced a deal early in the day that would have had drivers return to work in exchange for a temporary 24-hour patrol on the buses by the sheriff's deputies.

But when the Office of Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans issued a statement saying it wouldn't send deputies without the council's approval, the administration had to keep negotiating.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 26 President Henry Gaffney said his members would return to work today.

"Our intent is never to hurt the public," Gaffney said. "But at what point is enough, enough?"

Councilwoman Monica Conyers is expected to be the swing vote. She voted against the contract the first time, even though she publicly maintained she supported it.

On Wednesday, she again reiterated her support, though she said she would not be intimidated by the union's actions."