urbanSTL

According to their live chat, smart fare cards are coming by the end of the year, which is what they've been saying each of the last several years.

I have one as a tester, but I'm not even sure if they have the apparatus to check if my card has been validated for each trip (assuming they start checking fares someday).

I just read http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crim ... b095f.html now while drinking my after-lunch cup of coffee and spit out coffee while screaming "WHAT?!?!" four separate times during reading the article... This stuff needs to stop. My computer monitor can't take getting drenched in coffee so frequently.

McCulloch's logic of being unable to prosecute fare evaders because of the honor system is ludicrous.

Every law is on the honor system. Nobody's stopping me from walking down the street with a suitcase full of drugs and illegal guns, but I'd sure be prosecuted when I was caught.

^Yeah, that article made McCulloch sound like a tool.

Yes, we have a societal problem that turnstiles won't solve.

Install the turnstiles already.


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Armed robbery on the Clayton platform yesterday afternoon. Maybe now they'll get serious about it.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crim ... 7ca67.html

framer wrote: ↑

May 19, 2017

Armed robbery on the Clayton platform yesterday afternoon. Maybe now they'll get serious about it.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crim ... 7ca67.html

On the plus side (as if there could be a plus side to armed robbery), it sounds like the police response was about as good as anyone could reasonably expect - they arrived "moments after the incident" and coordinated with Clayton police to catch the perps quickly.

Hopefully that's a sign of better overall policing to come. If so, maybe now criminals will think again before committing armed robbery on MetroLink.

-RBB

rbb wrote: ↑

May 19, 2017

framer wrote: ↑

May 19, 2017

Armed robbery on the Clayton platform yesterday afternoon. Maybe now they'll get serious about it.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crim ... 7ca67.html

On the plus side (as if there could be a plus side to armed robbery), it sounds like the police response was about as good as anyone could reasonably expect - they arrived "moments after the incident" and coordinated with Clayton police to catch the perps quickly.

Hopefully that's a sign of better overall policing to come. If so, maybe now criminals will think again before committing armed robbery on MetroLink.

-RBB

There is a flaw in your logic. Ha

MetroLink Commissioner Faces Off With County Executive on Metro Security

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2017/06/22/ ... -security/

This morning on the train there were two very outgoing, friendly, loud security officers checking tickets. Finally! Another one on a train yesterday. These are security officers in dark gray, not the fare inspectors. They are being very friendly and sort of taking over the train. Really announcing their presence. Hope this is a sign that things have changed.

danke0 wrote: ↑

Jun 23, 2017

This morning on the train there were two very outgoing, friendly, loud security officers checking tickets. Finally! Another one on a train yesterday. These are security officers in dark gray, not the fare inspectors. They are being very friendly and sort of taking over the train. Really announcing their presence. Hope this is a sign that things have changed.

If they're security officers, they can't issue citations or make arrests. Nice to have 'presence' but ultimately it's meaningless.

I've seen more cops riding the train in the county and in Illinois lately. Haven't noticed much change in the city, though.

bprop wrote: ↑

Jun 23, 2017

danke0 wrote: ↑

Jun 23, 2017

This morning on the train there were two very outgoing, friendly, loud security officers checking tickets. Finally! Another one on a train yesterday. These are security officers in dark gray, not the fare inspectors. They are being very friendly and sort of taking over the train. Really announcing their presence. Hope this is a sign that things have changed.

If they're security officers, they can't issue citations or make arrests. Nice to have 'presence' but ultimately it's meaningless.

As a psychology exercise, maybe not. People are funny (both criminals and normies).

MarkHaversham wrote: ↑

Jun 24, 2017

As a psychology exercise, maybe not. People are funny (both criminals and normies).

I've ridden the last 20 or so years as a psychology exercise There have been 150+ security guards working the system, who, since 2015, have not been able to write citations or make arrests. If their presence is much of a deterrent, it would shock me.

As an aside, one of the "new" gray shirts got on the train today. He rode I'd say eight stops. No ticket check. And (though I agree it's stupid) this is what McCulloch is going to crack down on, if he wasn't bluffing. The guy was dressed like a cop down to the bulletproof vest, badge, and logos.

MetroLink officers get OK to write tickets in the City:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt ... bb998.html

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crim ... a0f0f.html

At this point it's really just insulting. These people are more concerned with their turf, or whatever, than with doing their jobs and providing some basic level of security on the system. The message that repeatedly and loudly comes out of this constant back and forth BS is: Metro riders, drop dead.

But McCulloch told the Post-Dispatch in an interview last month that his office had stopped filling fare evasion charges because MetroLink operated on an honor system.

“I don’t want my prosecutors filing any of the fare jumping ones,” McCulloch said. “It’s an honor system and they make no attempt to collect it. And I don’t see it as our responsibility to collect it.”

I guess this is to try to strong-arm Metro into installing turnstiles? It would be nice if we could actually focus on doing something about the crime instead of holding out for a massive construction project as some kind of silver bullet to solve these issues. Maybe it would help, but in the short-term we want to make things worse by playing politics with people's safety?

They are spending $3.5 mill on a study on turnstiles. Uhg!


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Well as long as the consultants get rich. On one hand they say the additional police presence is working and if Metro security could start fare enforcement again we'd be back where we were, yet we still have to throw away money on this study.

How much service could we get for $3.6M? Improved bus stops?

quincunx wrote: ↑

Jun 30, 2017

On one hand they say the additional police presence is working

I agree with your post.

But I disagree with their premise that there is additional police presence, to say nothing of an improved Metro experience as a result.

KMOX - Chief Belmar: MetroLink Citations in County Will Be Honored

Belmar was in studio with KMOX’s Charlie Brennan with news that since a task force was formed in April between St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Clair County – Part 1, or the most serious crimes, are down 50 percent, and Part 2 crimes are down 40 percent on the light rail line.

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2017/06/28/ ... e-honored/

Tony delivers the goods.

Messenger: Caught on camera, St. Louis County cops cover their tracks

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/colu ... 43318.html

But the county police officers who are supposed to keep transit lines safe have been found hiding away in security offices rather than patrolling trains and platforms, according to the records kept by Metro.