Unsuck DC Metro: Add your Voice

@Hell_on_wheelz · 675 weeks ago

Checked the Metro calendar. There is a meeting on 4/25 (wed) in Arlington. The Board is meeting in Executive session on 4/26 (Thurs) and a public meeting in the same Thurs evening in Falls Church.

Where/when/who is this meeting on Wed (4/18)?

http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/events/gove...

DC Denizen · 675 weeks ago

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@courageousrobot · 675 weeks ago

Kurt, if you're a Post employee, swing by Dr. Gridlock and have a talk with those guys. It would be nice to see more examples of WaPo writers taking a more critical look at the Metro.

2 replies · active 675 weeks ago

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SoylentGreenLine · 675 weeks ago

If his past style of responding to reader concerns hold true, Dr. Gridlock will report back in the Express that this attack was beyond Metro's control, and we all take our lives into our hands every time we step outside our homes.

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John · 675 weeks ago

Dr. Gridlock? Critical look at metro?

We must have a different definition of the word "critical"....

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hrh king friday 13 · 675 weeks ago

It was Jackie Jeter.

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John · 675 weeks ago

This is Jackie Jeter's American Dream, unfortunately. She is complete scum.

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Guest · 675 weeks ago

That's really awful and I'm sorry you had to deal with that. I'm happy to read that the other passengers helped you and helped each other, which is a small positive to come out of your experience after hearing story after story about victims who weren't helped by their fellow passengers. I applaud you for following through on getting this jerk arrested even though metro made it particularly difficult for you.

I have also been assaulted on metro and had to wait ~20 minutes for MTPD to show up after calling. By that time the assailants were long gone and it was really frustrating. The cops told me the long wait was because there were only two officers assigned to each patrol region, which included several busy stations and all the trains passing through them. Therefore, if you call them while they're dealing with another incident on a train or station on the other side of their patrol region, you have to wait until they're done dealing with that incident and then they have to travel to wherever you are.

That's certainly not the only issue metro needs to address, but it might be a good starting point to have adequate (and competent) police on duty to deal with the recent surge in mindless violence on metro until some sort of deeper change can occur (if it ever does). I think it would also be really helpful to have a lot more undercover cops actually riding the trains so they could see first hand all the crazy stuff that we, as riders, see all the time.

Robb Stark · 675 weeks ago

This probably explains the armed Metro Transit Police officer who rode this morning from Huntington to Gallery Place. I'd never seen MTP on the train before and hadn't realized they carried firearms. The officer did nothing wrong that I could see but it was weird to notice him there.

4 replies · active 675 weeks ago

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Feel Wood · 675 weeks ago

There should be at least one Metro Transit Police Officer on every train at all times. It's called patrolling a beat, all police departments do this. It establishes police presence and thereby deters crime.

But you know how many times I've actually seen a Metro Transit Police Officer on a train that I'm riding, in two years of daily commute from Dunn Loring to L'Enfant? Zero. I do hear Metro Transit Poluce Chief Michael Taborn's voice over the loudspeaker a lot, but that just doesn't provide the warm fuzzy that an actual cop patrolling the beat would. Probably doesn't scare criminals either.

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RataTat · 675 weeks ago

You do realize, there's a lot of trains out there at any given time, don't you?

And you think fares are high, now.

How they patrol is, they're given a certain section of track with "X" amount of stations on it and they're responsible for the trains AND stations along that 'beat." Usually it's from 4-6 stations, with some, Like Metro Center, L'Enfant, and others providing overlaps. The problem is, if one officer is tied up on a call, the officer with the adjoining beat has to handle a call on the tied up officer's beat. It takes time, especially if he/she is at the far end of his/her own beat. And they have to deal with the same stupid, unreliable, system that the passengers have to deal with. On a weekend, trains are about 12, sometimes 15 minutes, apart. If there's a long distance to travel for a call, that only adds to the response time.

Another problem? Bratty a$$ juveniles. Every day, there are special details at many stations, depleting MORE manpower, because the D.C. school kids don't know how to act in public. They have to be babysat. Sad, but true! And when your only talking about maybe 20-25 officers on foot patrol in the ENTIRE SYSTEM, well, you do the math. Resources are often stretched thin.

DC Denizen · 675 weeks ago

Don't forget to add in the problems with radios not working in certain parts of the station or the tunnels...

Orange Line · 675 weeks ago

Must be all those damn Visitation Prep and Sidwell brats. Damn them!

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JoeB · 675 weeks ago

I really think that local law enforcement should augment patrolling metro's system... i have thought that for several years and more recently, the lack of a steady presence is really noticeable..

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Confused · 675 weeks ago

I guess I am confused.

So if someone is threatening people with a gun at Smithsonian and another guy is doing the same thing at Crystal City and these stations are in the same jurisdiction for MTPD, they can only help one person? And local authorities cannot assist?

3 replies · active 675 weeks ago

RataTat · 675 weeks ago

They can assist. If the call is a priority, they usually will. But, they have to have someone available, too. In D.C., that isn't always the case.

16 cents · 675 weeks ago

How was this not a priority?

RataTat · 675 weeks ago

Well, I'm sure the OP thought it was.

Don't know how the call was put out, though. As a misdemeanor "Simple Assault?" That probably isn't going to get the same response as a felony "Man with a gun" or "Assault with a deadly weapon."

And I said "usually....." This occurred in DC where MPD is tied up with crime, too.

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F'n JD · 675 weeks ago

Metro police officers not doing anything about eating and drinking on the train. You start policing bad behavior regularly, more significant problems go away.

1 reply · active 675 weeks ago

RGG · 675 weeks ago

Sure....til you end up in the Post. And the passengers bash the police because Lil' ShaQueeshia got locked up for eating a french fry.

Nick · 675 weeks ago

I don't see why metro can't have local cops respond quickly to stations if they are much closer.

Sure, having a dedicated police force that knows the system is great. But getting pushed off 911 to MTPD after getting assaulted is just stupid. Local jurisdictions need to figure this out. There were probably MANY NPS or DC police officers within a 5 minute drive of Smithsonian on Saturday AM.

Can anyone tell me why the police forces don't cooperate?

5 replies · active 675 weeks ago

RGG · 675 weeks ago

It isn't just knowing the system, it's jurisdiction, too. One of the reasons MTPD was created was due to the cross-jurisdiction issues of a tri-state system. MTPD officers are certified police officers in MD, VA, and DC because of the quirky Metro system. The local PDs would encounter many issues within the system. Imagine: A person is assaulted at National Airporrt and boards a train towards D.C..... Airport, or Arlington County police can't chase the guy into D.C. for a misdemeanor, but MTPD officers can. It's still their jurisdiction. I realize, that in the "all things Metro sucks" environment we have here MTPD is going to get bashed, too. But....they are one of the most highly trained departments in the country (3 jurisdictions). Whereas most departments have police academies in the 17-22 weeks range, theirs is a combination of Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. training which runs close to a year long by the time they hit the streets.

Feel Wood · 675 weeks ago

Fine. Have local police work the Metro stations, which will free the Metro police to work the trains. One local cop in each station at all times and one Metro cop on each train is not an unreasonable expectation. It establishes police presence, just like having a cop assigned to each school does, and that is the biggest part of the battle. Police presence is what makes the casual criminal think twice before doing something like stealing an iPhone or verbally or physically assaulting someone. Right now, the police presence in the Metro system is ZERO. That's why the thugs have free reign.

RGG · 675 weeks ago

As "RataTat said: "You do realize, there's a lot of trains out there at any given time, don't you?"

It would be financially impossible to put an officer on every train. Take a look at the kiosk computer monitor sometime, especially during Rush Hour. That's a LOT of trains!! You'd need HUNDREDS of additional officers out there at a time. As it is now, you have about 20-25.

The local police have there own issues to deal with. Heck, I don't even know if their radios work, at least very well, inside Metro. Do you really think the local politicos are going to allow a minimum of 86 of their officers at a time to be pulled off their assignments to babysit each Metro station? There's an agreement in place between MTPD and the local PDs. MTPD has primary jurisdiction inside stations and along the rails. The locals have primary jurisdiction in the parking lots. But, in reality, the locals are going to usually pass those calls off to MTPD, too. There just isn't enough manpower to "share the wealth"--so to speak.

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guest · 675 weeks ago

So if someone commits a crime in MD, the chase must come to an end for this criminal once he or she crosses into VA? No.

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RGG · 675 weeks ago

Umm...YES! For a misdemeanor....the chase must end.

Police can't pursue over state lines for misdemeanors. Felonies only, and then they have to charge the bad guy as a "Fugitive from Justice" and extradite him back to the originating state. They can't drag him back in handcuffs from VA back to MD. If it's a misdemeanor, and they can ID the knucklehead, they would have to get a warrant in the original jurisdiction and serve it when he's located again--in THAT original jurisdiction.

MTPD can continue the chase, because their jurisdiction continues between MD/DC/VA, as long as the bad guy is on Metro property (i.e., the train). They would still have to extradite back to the original jurisdiction though, for a felony, and ID for a warrant for a misdemeanor. BUT, MTPD can at least still nab the guy, where the local police would have to call it off.

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Stan Dessel · 675 weeks ago

He was arrested. You're welcome.

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brian · 675 weeks ago

I remember when the Post seemed to think it was reckless and stupid for somebody to call the police and chase after a suspect with a cell phone. I am glad those foolish days are behind us.

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Tommy · 675 weeks ago

So the criminal got caught and your still complaining?WOW!!! People want first class plane ticket around the world service, for $1.85

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Guest · 675 weeks ago

I wonder if the assailant will be charged with a hate crime. Probably not.

3 replies · active 675 weeks ago

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freckledwon 14p · 675 weeks ago

I can understand why you might initially react that way. Unfortunately, the narrative of the assault, posted on this site and published in the Post, suggests that it was a racially motivated attack. The account in DCist makes it clear that the attacker was mentally disturbed (http://dcist.com/2012/04/metrorail_assault_victim_says_trans.php).

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g1956 · 675 weeks ago

And why should that matter at this point? "Mentally disturbed" does not equal "insane" or automatically qualify one for a get out of jail free card. Let the system work.

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Guest · 675 weeks ago

DCist posters are liberal democrats who think that Black people can't be racist and can't commit hate crimes. Then they move to the suburbs when they're mugged.

RGG · 675 weeks ago

From "Dcist"

"Hiatt said he received a phone call Sunday night from a deputy to Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn, who said he'd look into both the assault and why it took so long for Transit Police officers to respond. Taborn did not respond for this article, but Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said the station manager at Smithsonian was in fact the first person to alert Transit Police of the March 31 assault."

Soooooo......Is this true? Did the Station Manager make the first call to MTPD? Or the OP?

1 reply · active 675 weeks ago