TriMet’s solution to criminal activity by gangsters on MAX is to hire former professional thugs here. Of course Tri Met is paying for the former gang members to ride. Victory Outreach is a wonderful organization dedicated to changing lives for God (here) and I’m all about it, but I wonder if more uniformed officers would be better. After all, as pointed out here yesterday, TriMet is getting all KINDS of–what did they call it? –Oh, yes, “stimulus” money to build bicycle garages at a cost of $5145 for each bicycle. That bike tax (here) is looking good right about now.
Victory Outreach Rider Advocates
Some of the criminal or intimidating behavior on the system is among gang members or potential gang members. To address some of the root causes, TriMet is partnering with Victory Outreach Community Services, Inc., a community-based Latino youth organization, to ride MAX and work with Latino youth to prevent gang activity. Eight Victory Outreach Advocates will provide information to riders about TriMet in
support of customer services, safety and security, as well as providing a physical presence on the transit system to serve as a deterrent for inappropriate, intimidating and illegal conduct related to gang activity. This is similar to work being done by the Rider Advocates in North and Northeast Portland neighborhoods.
patrol Max for only the cost of a ticket? Story here.
Light rail is far more susceptible to crime than buses. National Federal Transit
Administration data for 2004 indicate that, per passenger mile, light rail is involved with more than 3 times as many aggravated assaults, 26 times as many burgleries, 7 times as many rapes, and 10 times as many robberies as buses. The numbers for 2002 and 2003 are similar.The Oregon Catalyst has a history of crime on light rail here.
