Washington Metro's Partnership Against Crime
The Washington Metro system has a transit police force of 298 sworn members who patrol a 103-mile system encompassing over 1,500 square miles. The Metro Transit Police is teaming with Metro's 8,000+ work force to support new crime prevention efforts. Developed as a next step in the training of employees to combat the threat of terrorism, the Partnership Against Crime program specifically targets the system's maintenance force, expanding on training already provided to rail and bus employees.
In the past year, calls to the police regarding suspicious packages have increased. This is attributed to heightened attention given unattended packages or suitcases, an outcome of terrorism training provided to bus operators and station managers. In addition to monitoring conditions on the metro system, maintenance employees will now be trained to recognize what bombs may look like, the most likely places to find them, and indicators that set suspicious articles apart from innocuous ones. Special attention is given to trash cans, newspaper recycling receptacles, and newspaper vending boxes. Maintenance employees will be trained to provide valuable information to emergency personnel as they arrive.
For further information, contact Captain Geoffrey Hunter at 202, 962-2153.
MARTA Police Department Crime Suppression Unit. MARTA regularly questions its customers about the system's services and the concerns its riders may have regarding using it. This input is obtained by formal surveys, focus group meetings, and system tours by General Manager/CEO Rick Simonetta and key executive staff. One of the consistent themes of MARTA riders was a concern about quality of life issues. The customers saw minor violations such as smoking on a train as an indication of potential disorder. These feelings are compatible with the broken windows concept of community oriented policing.
The MARTA Police Department already had a COPS grant to fund a specialized unit dealing with juvenile crime and disorder on the system. It was expanded last year and a new Crime Suppression Team (CST) was formed. The CST was tasked to deal directly with the following, all of which were particularly identified by MARTA riders as causing concern: Eating, drinking, and smoking on trains and buses and in stations; fare evasion; littering; vandalism and graffiti; panhandling or solicitation; playing loud electronic devices without earphones.
One issue that arose almost immediately was the different legal status of the offenses. For example, smoking on a train was a violation of the law, but eating on a train was only a policy violation. These differences made uniform, even-handed enforcement difficult. The problem was solved during the 1998 session of the Georgia legislature when the statutes were amended and expanded to make all quality of life concerns misdemeanors. Now CST officers have the tools they need to address the problems identified by MARTA riders. Custody arrests are not made for these violations, but citations are issued to the offender who must then appear in court.
Before actual enforcement activities began, the MARTA Marketing Department developed an advertising campaign entitled "Not on my MARTA" designed to educate the public about these offenses. Various MARTA publications detailed the violations and explained planned enforcement actions. Posters featuring pictures of MARTA employees and riders were placed in stations and on buses and trains. Printed information was passed out in key rail stations.
The campaign has been very successful. Violations on the MARTA system have decreased and court cases have declined steadily as the public becomes more aware of the prohibitions. And, perhaps most important, MARTA riders have recognized that the system is interested in their input and will be responsive to their concerns.
Washington Metro Briefing on Countering Biological Terrorism with Electrotechnologies. The Washington Metro Police Department hosted a briefing on an advanced concept for countering biological terrorism with electrotechnologies. This briefing was presented jointly by the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and the University of Missouri-Columbia. This concept involves identifying large amounts of 1-5 micron particles in the wake of a train, electrostatic spraying of a sensitizer, and use of a high power ultraviolet light in a blind spot in the tunnel to scavenge the particles.
For further information, call Dr. David Siegrist at 703, 681-5457, or Professor Randy Curry at 573, 582-3017.
Transit Security Handbook, May 1998, FTA-MA-90-9008-98-1, Federal Transit Administration, Office of Safety and Security (202, 366-2896). This handbook explains the security requirements specified in FTA's State Safety Oversight Rule, provides an overview of security as it is currently provided by rail transit systems affected by the State Safety Oversight Rule, and establishes a reference for oversight agencies on security in the rail transit environment.
Combatting Terrorism: Federal Agencies' Efforts to Implement National Policy and Strategy, September 1997, NSIAD-97-254, General Accounting Office. The first copy of each GAO report is free; additional copies are $2 each. Order by mail from U. S. General Accounting Office, P.O. Box 37050, Washington, DC 20013; call 202, 512-6000; fax 202, 512-6061; on the Internet at http://www.gao.gov.
Transit Security Handbook, May 1998, FTA-MA-90-9008-98-1, Federal Transit Administration, Office of Safety and Security (202, 366-2896). This handbook explains the security requirements specified in FTA's State Safety Oversight Rule, provides an overview of security as it is currently provided by rail transit systems affected by the State Safety Oversight Rule, and establishes a reference for oversight agencies on security in the rail transit environment.
Combatting Terrorism: Spending on Governmentwide Programs Requires Better Management and Coordination, April 1998, NSIAD-98-74, General Accounting Office (see above for ordering information).
Combatting Terrorism: Observations on Crosscutting Issues, April 1998, April 1998, NSIAD-98-164, General Accounting Office (see above for ordering information).
10/1-4 American Public Transit Association Annual Meeting and Technical Conference, New York, NY (202, 898-4038)
10/7-9 1st International Conference on Computer Simulation in Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation, Valencia, Spain, Wessex Institute of Technology (44 1703 293223)
10/17-22 International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference and Exhibition, Salt Lake City, UT (703, 836-6767)
10/19-21 National Safety Council Congress and Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA (630-775-2303)
10/21-23 1st International Union of Public Transport Asia/Pacific Conference and Exhibition, Hong Kong, China
12/2-5 National League of Cities Annual Conference, Kansas City, MO (202, 626-3000
1/10-14 78th Annual Transportation Research Board Meeting, Washington, DC (202, 334-2934)
1/31-2/2 South West Transit Association 18th Annual Conference, Scottsdale, AZ (210, 967-6446)
5/23-28 International Union of Urban Transport 53rd Congress and City Transport '99, Toronto, Ontario (32 2/673-6105)
6/28-30 The Urban Street Symposium, Dallas, TX, Transportation Research Board (202, 334-2934)
9/21-25 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, St. Louis, MO, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
9/22-23 Chemical Weapons Exercise, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Washington, DC, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
9/28-10/2 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Nashville, TN, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
10/2-5 Chemical Weapons Exercise/Biological Weapon Tabletop, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, San Jose, CA, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
10/5-8 Chemical Weapons Exercise/Biological Weapon Tabletop, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Milwaukee, WI, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
10/5-9 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Tucson, AZ, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
10/12-16 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Charlotte, NC, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
10/13-14 Chemical Weapons Exercise, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Baltimore, MD, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
10/13-14 Chemical Weapons Exercise, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Jacksonville, FL, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
10/19-23 Intermediate Information Operations/Warfare (Secret Clearance), Washington, DC, National Defense University, Institute for National Strategic Studies (202, 685-2209)
10/19-23 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Virginia Beach, VA, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
10/26-30 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Virginia Beach, VA, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
10/26-30 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, El Paso, TX, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
10/28-30 Chemical Weapons Exercise, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, San Antonio, TX, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
11/2-6 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Sacramento, CA, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
11/10-11 Chemical Weapons Exercise, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, San Francisco, CA, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
11/11-16 WESTWIND Exercise, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Los Angeles, CA, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
11/16-20 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Cleveland, OH, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
11/18-19 Chemical Weapons Exercise, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Seattle, WA, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
11/30-12/4 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Austin, TX, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
12/14-18 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Oklahoma City, OK, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
1/4-8 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Colorado Springs, CO, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
1/11-15 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Buffalo, NY, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
2/1-5 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Minneapolis, MN, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
2/8-12 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
2/22-26 Train the Trainer, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Training, Omaha, NE, Department of Defense (202, 366-6541)
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. Simply fax your material to the number given 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.
Note: Information for inclusion in the next issue of this newsletter should 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 by E-Mail to Edith.Rodano@fta.dot.gov no later than October 15, 1998.