Bus horror

[detwaa84]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...METRO/704040401

I just thought I'd post this since there hasn't been anything new in a while.

All I'll say, is I hope our city council will approve any officers patrolling if our region was to ever get mass transit, bus or train. Also, I just wanted to know, if a mass transit system was created, does that mean that there has to be some sort of authority overseeing both the Detoit and suburban system, with Detroit completely giving up control of DDOT?

[RustTown]

I think any violence on a bus is too much, but the coverage of the story is also nothing more than shock journalism at its worst. In the time frame of 14 months, the route with the highest ridership (which includes tens-of-thousands of riders a year) had 9 incidents, with 'violence' including everything from actual physical assualts to threats and verbal assults. I'm all in support of putting police back on buses, but 50 incidents in a 14 month period on a bus system with tens-of-millions of rides a year, many of which are probably verbal, and many of which are probably between known people who simply don't like each other just doesn't seem like a crisis.

All that said, most importantly, I'd like this number to be taken down to 0, and tackled before it's allowed to become a crisis, though.

BTW, does anyone have a list of other cities that offer security on their buses? I know the double-deckers in London have officers as well as an extensive network off CCTV (closed circuit television) on the buses, and have for years, but what about examples here in the U.S.?

[detwaa84]

I just came back from Chicago, and there wasn't any. I wonder what cities do though now, since the thirld largest city in the U.S. with the second largest subway system doesn't.

[Michigonian]

Portland has a few Police looking people that I've seen, but they mainly just check your tickets on MAX and write you up if you don't buy a ticket.. So I'm not sure if they are Police, or ticket collectors...

[nofunk]

Greg Hull, security chief for the American Public Transportation Association, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying and educational organization, said he didn't know of another major city without its own dedicated transit police force or a contract with another police agency or private company.

The transit systems in Los Angeles and Seattle both contract with their respective county sheriff's agencies, he said. Miami and Milwaukee, on the other hand, contract with Florida-based Wackenhut Corp., which provides sworn peace officers who carry guns.

[tomo]

There are transit police who patrol the CTA train system but it's very seldom that you see them outside of when they are called.

Otherwise what security Chicago does have is all of the blue light cameras on poles in the more ghetto neighborhoods. I think this would be a good idea for Detroit.

[detwaa84]

There are transit police who patrol the CTA train system but it's very seldom that you see them outside of when they are called.

Otherwise what security Chicago does have is all of the blue light cameras on poles in the more ghetto neighborhoods. I think this would be a good idea for Detroit.

[nofunk]

Detroit is putting cameras on the riverwalk. Maybe that's a start. The entire downtown/midtown should have them. I always feel safe walking in Chicago, ANYtime of the day, and anywhere in from the CBD to the Lincoln Park District

[RustTown]

Thanks for that information from the American Public Transportation Association, Nofunk. It's kind of what I was thinking.