MBTA Patrolman Receives Medal of Valor
On the evening of February 26,2000, an all points radio dispatch was transmitted concerning the report of a shooting at the Massachusetts Avenue Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority transit station. On arriving at the scene, Officer Terrence Leonard, Jr., observed a gunshot victim being treated and observed a suspect whom he pursued on foot. After losing the suspect, Officer Leonard saw him dart out from behind a building in a housing project and cornered and subdued the suspect after a brief struggle. The suspect was taken back to the crime scene where he was positively identified as the shooter. The victim later died of gunshot wounds and the suspect was charged with murder. For this courageous act, MBTA Patrolman Leonard, was awarded the Law Enforcement Medal of Valor on October 6, 2000.
For further information, contact Peter Pasciucco at 617, 222-1173.
MARTA'S Police Olympians Bring Home Three Gold Medals
Police departments from across the State of Georgia converged on Columbus to compete in the annual Police Olympics. When the competition ended, members of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Police Department came home with three gold medals.
Officer Katrina Bruce, a MARTA bicycle patrol officer, won her gold in the mountain biking competition. The event took place on a grueling 15-mile off-road course, which she completed in 1 hour 44 minutes, a full six minutes ahead of her closest competition. Office Vince Allen took the gold in the Tough Cop competition. This event, held outdoors in 95-degree heat, involves sprinting up six flights of stairs, completing an obstacle course, pushing a police car 25 feet, shooting at 12 metal targets, rescuing a 175-pound dummy, and a half-mile run. Officer Allen outperformed the entire field and finished a minute-and-a-half ahead of his closest competition. Officer Wayne Watts won his gold in the bench press. With a starting weight of 405 pounds, he worked his way up to 480 pounds. It is interesting to note that none of his competitors reached even his starting weight.
For further information, contact John Dankel at 404, 848-4916.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Chief of Police Barry J. McDevitt was recently given the Jackson Graham Memorial Award for Extraordinary Achievement.
Chief McDevitt began his career in July 1975, as an officer with the Metro Transit Police and ascended through the ranks until he became Chief of Police in April 1996. He is responsible for the 423 sworn and civilian personnel who comprise the Police Department. Under his leadership, his department developed a comprehensive system security program which was the one of the first of its kind in the U. S. and which became a model for many other transit agencies. He is responsible for coordinating with the many police agencies in the Washington Metropolitan area to implement a coordinated and integrated law enforcement program for WMATA. The award nomination was submitted by "the 412 men and women of the Metro Transit Police Department."
For further information, contact Deputy Chief David Shaw at 962-2162 or Captain Jan Mader at 962-2194.
The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority has announced two unique programs as part of their Operation Safe Travel. On Sunday, October 29, along with the Boston Fire Department, MBTA Police will be distributing free batteries, courtesy of the Eveready Battery Company, to encourage commuters to replace the batteries in their home smoke detectors. On October 31 at historic South Station, MBTA Police will distribute reflective MBTA Police badges along with safety messages, courtesy of the Equity Management Company, to thousands of children to wish them a safe and happy Halloween.
For further information, contact Peter Pasciucco at 617, 2221173.
In a recently book, Tired Cops, published by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), Dr. Bryan Vila discusses the widespread problem of fatigue among police officers and how it can seriously degrade their health, safety, and performance. The NRF is a Washington, D. C.-based national membership organization dedicated to improving policing and advancing professionalism through research and involvement in public policy debate. Dr. Vila is a Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Wyoming and spent more than 17 years as a law enforcement officer before becoming an academic.
Recent articles in the Staten (NY) Island Advance and the Oak Ridger (TN) discuss two incidents in which police officers were killed or injured as a result of fatigue. In the first, a man was charged with criminally negligent homicide in connection with an accident in which he acknowledged that he must have fallen asleep and crashed his sport utility vehicle into a patrol car killing the police officer, an incident for which he received a 1-3 year, prison sentence. In the second incident, a Tennessee Highway Patrolman and three others were injured in a 2-vehicle crash when the trooper apparently fell asleep at the wheel, ran a red light, and slammed into a sport utility vehicle.
Tired Cops is available from the National Sleep Foundation for $20. Orders may be placed at the web address which is www.sleepfoundation.org/shop.html.
11/8-10 California Transit Association 35'" Annual Fall Conference, Los Angeles, CA (hosted by Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus, Culver CityBus, Montebello Bus Lines, Foothill Transit, Torrance Transit System, and Santa Clarita Transit System) (310, 458-1975; ext. 244, or 916, 446-4656)
11/11-15/00 107th Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference: Law Enforcement Education and Technology Exposition, San Diego, CA (800, THE IACP)
11/14 Canadian Urban Transit Association Trans-Expo 2000, Quebec City, Quebec (416, 365-9800)
11/15-17 New York Public Transit Association and New York State Department of Transportation Fall Conference and Trade Show, Saratoga Springs, NY
5/5-10/01 American Public Transportation Association Bus Operations and Technology Conference, Calgary, Alberta (202, 898-4000)
9/30-10/4/01 American Public Transportation Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA (202, 848-8040)
10/27-31/01 107th Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Toronto, Ontario (800, THE IACP)
11/1/00 Tactical Entry Operations, St. Charles, MO, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
11/2/00 Advanced Grant Writing and Management, Henderson, NV, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
11/2/00 Developing a Legally Defensible Curriculum, Huntington Beach, CA, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
11/7-10 Transit System Security (closed to outside participants), Oakland, CA, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
11/8/00 Administering and Managing Campus Law Enforcement, Seattle, WA, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
11/9/00 Managing the Training Unit, Huntington Beach, CA, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
11/13/00 Cultural Awareness: Train-the-Trainer, Sherwood, OR, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
11/13/00 Managing Criminal Investigations, Sparks, NV, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
11/13/00 Implementing a Youth Intervention Program, Phoenix, AZ, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
12/4/00 Managing the Internal Affairs Unit, Maple Grove, MN, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
11/16 Emergency Response and Access to Alternative Fueled Vehicles Seminar (closed to outside participants), Syracuse, NY, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
11/28 Threat Management and Emergency Response to Bus Hijackings Seminar, San Antonio, TX, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
11/28-12/1 Effectively Managing Transit Emergencies (closed to outside participants), Oakland, CA, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
11/29 Threat Management and Emergency Response to Bus Hijackings Seminar, San Antonio, TX, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
12/4/00 Effective Recruitment Techniques, Sunnyvale, CA, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
12/4/00 SWAT Supervisors' Tactics and Management, Worcester, MA, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
12/4/00 New Chiefs' Development Seminar, Buffalo Grove, IL, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
12/4/00 Police/Medical Investigation of Death, Miami, FL, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
12/5 Threat Management and Emergency Response to Rail Hijackings Seminar (pilot), Dallas, TX, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682;Fax: 954-0367)
12/6 Threat Management and Emergency Response to Rail Hijackings Seminar (pilot), Dallas, TX, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682;Fax: 954-0367)
12/6/00 Crisis Negotiations, Tucson, AZ, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800; THE IACP)
12/7/00 Excellence in the FTO Program, St. Charles, MO, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
12/11/00 Value-Centered Leadership: A Workshop on Ethics ...., Phoenix, AZ, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
12/11/00 Critical Incident Management, Seattle, WA, International Association of Chiefs of Police (800, THE IACP)
12/13-14 Fatigue Awareness Seminar, Phoenix, AZ, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
1/16-19/01 Effectively Managing Transit Emergencies, Seattle, WA, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
2/6/01 Threat Management and Emergency Response to Bus Hijackings Seminar, Salt. Lake City, UT, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 9543682; Fax: 954-0367)
3/7/01 Threat Management and Emergency Response to Bus Hijackings Seminar, Salt Lake City, UT, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682;Fax: 954-0367)
3/14-15/01 Bus Collision Casualty Extrication Seminar, Oakland, CA, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
3/27-30/01 Threat Management and Emergency Response to Bus Hijackings Seminar, Salt Lake City, UT, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682;Fax: 954-036?)
4/4-5/01 Fatigue Awareness Seminar, Austin, TX, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
4/10/01 Transit Explosives Incident Management Seminar, Salt Lake City, UT, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
4/11/01 Transit Explosives Incident Management Seminar, Salt Lake City, UT, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
4/17-18/01 Response to Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Transit Incidents (closed to outside participants), Salt Lake City, UT, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
4/24-27/01 Transit System Security, Salt Lake City, UT, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405,954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
5/10-13/01 Congress and the Intelligence Community, Washington, DC, Governmental Affairs Institute at Georgetown University (202, 333-4834; Fax: 333-8165)
5/22-23/01 Response to Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Transit Incidents (closed to outside participants), Seattle, WA, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
7/10/01 Transit Explosives Incident Management Seminar, Phoenix, AZ, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
7/10-13/01 Effectively Managing Transit Emergencies, Austin, TX, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
7/11/01 Transit Explosives Incident Management Seminar, Phoenix, AZ, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
8/14/01 Transit Explosives Incident Management Seminar, Salt Lake City, UT, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
8/15/01 Transit Explosives Incident Management Seminar, Salt Lake City, UT, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
8/21-24/01 Transit System Security, Detroit, MI, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
9/10-21/01 Collision Investigation for Transit Police and Law Enforcement, Oklahoma City, OK, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
9/11-12/01 Fatigue Awareness Seminar, Oakland, CA, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682;Fax: 954-0367)
Let Us Hear From You. If you have any activities that would be of interest regarding transit security, a staff member whom you want to commend for some outstanding or heroic action, or just about anything dealing with transit security, please let us hear from you. Fax your material to the number below--we will find a place for it in the newsletter.
Address Corrections. If you note any inaccuracies on the address label, please fax corrections to the number below along with your phone and Fax numbers and E-mail address.
Note: Information for this newsletter may be sent to Edith Rodano, Office of Safety and Security, Federal Transit Administration, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D. C. 20590 (202, 366-0191; Fax: 366-7951) or Edith.Rodano@fta.dot.gov by June 15, 2000.