AlvinofDiaspar
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From the Star:
Transit police fight crime with baton and bravado
Jul 16, 2008 04:30 AM
Tess Kalinowski
Transportation Reporter
They confront the same weapons, the same kinds of assaults, theft, street drugs and drunks as regular Toronto police officers do.
As sworn peace officers, they have the power to issue tickets and make arrests for all manner of crimes, as well as for TTC bylaw infractions.
But the men and women who wear the blue uniform of Toronto's "other" police force battle a public perception that they're just glorified security guards.
"Our officers are very motivated, very professional, and it can be challenging if you're dealing with somebody who's questioning your authority," says the TTC's chief special constable, Terry Andrews.
The role of the TTC's 95 special constables came under scrutiny recently when an outside consultant began reviewing the job and its use-of-force requirements, including whether to arm constables.
Last week, the transit corps was credited with helping to keep the growth in crimes on the system to about 4 per cent – on pace with gains in ridership last year.
Transit police uphold the law on a system that carries 1.5 million riders daily – twice the size of Mississauga, says Sgt. Rick Stewart, who allowed the Star to join him on patrol recently.
Earlier that day, two special constables arrested a woman accused of stealing a purse and attacking a rider with a knife. Two weeks earlier, they arrested a man believed to have pushed someone off a subway platform in May.
Like all police, they spend a lot of time responding to routine calls, discouraging panhandling and loitering, answering questions and offering directions.
Even with teams stationed underground and in surface vehicles, they face a challenge to get to the scene before a problem disappears down the tunnel or out the nearest exit.
Unlike security guards, who can act only if they see a crime in progress, special constables can make arrests if they believe a crime has been committed on TTC property.
"We arrest you on reasonable grounds, we search you, we seize evidence, we escort you to the police station, we write up a police report," says Stewart.
Most transit riders treat them with courtesy and respect.
Those most likely to challenge their authority are troublemakers with the savvy to recognize their uniform is different – no red stripe down the pants, a pale blue shirt, a blue band around the hat and no "police" emblem.
The distinction is "misleading," says Stewart, "because there is no enforcement option I can't (use) that a regular police officer can, except the Highway Traffic Act."
Plainly visible on their uniforms are the Kevlar vest, expandable baton, handcuffs, radio and pepper foam. It's what's not there that has drawn the most controversy.
Special constables do not carry Tasers or firearms, and a discussion of those weapons has been removed from the parameters of the review to be released later this year.
Six transit cops interviewed by the Star say guns and Tasers are tools they should have.
"There's not a police service in the province that would do the work we do unarmed," says Stewart, an 11-year veteran of the TTC.
At the same time, armed or not "there's not one of our constables who would stop doing this," he says.
"Anybody who's involved in a policing career should have the tools to do it effectively for the protection of themselves and the public," says Jay Lawrence, another special constable.
He has stopped to chat with Stewart outside the St. Andrew subway station, where he and his partner are dealing with a fare dispute.
Special Constable Danielle Blay accompanies Stewart for part of the subway patrol, offering directions, checking obscure corridors for loiterers, warning a rider tapping on his laptop to hold tight to his belongings.
She loves the job so much, she says, her friends roll their eyes when she starts talking about work.
But she is keenly aware of the danger, too: "The first thing out of my mother's mouth is: `Why do you want to risk your life for a job?'
"It's not going to be the gun call that gets us hurt," says Blay. "It's the smoker we investigate who might have a gun. You have to be vigilant in every situation."
For now, the issue of arming constables is closed, says Andrews, but the emphasis on officer safety remains. "We are in the process of evaluating their activities, the controls we currently have in place, and are there any additional measures that we can implement."
At 7:30 p.m., Stewart gets a call about an unattended backpack at Queen's Park station.
"The worst-case scenario? It's a sarin gas attack, like Tokyo," he says, referring to the 1995 act of terrorism that killed 12 people.
This time it's the best case: a red cooler containing empty beer cans.
Later, Stewart hops into a van to join two constables on the Bloor line who nabbed two kids entering the subway without paying. Turns out they're from Russia and couldn't read the signs.
Constables Bill Perivolaris and Mohamed Elatter do their best to explain things and send the boys on their way.
Elatter says his job has changed over a decade – "society has changed."
Andrews notes TTC has reacted in kind, installing cameras, creating waiting areas on platforms and letting drivers drop off late-night riders closer to home.
"In the mid-'70s the only security measure we had was the yellow alarm strip on our subway trains."
RIDING HERD ON TTC MISDEEDS
975
Arrests by special constables in 2007
906
Smoking charges issued by special constables last year
1,003
Tickets issued to people trying to pay less than the posted fare
1,556
Fare evasion charges laid last year
95
Non-unionized special constables now in TTC's employ.
The ranks include uniformed patrol corps, investigative officers and a system security unit that devises crime prevention programs.
117
Special constables expected to be serving by the end of the year
92
Number of the 117 to be deployed on the front lines
11
Weeks of classroom training taken by special constables
6
Months of field training taken with a coach/officer
1
Percentage of applicants hired as special constables
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/460972
______
The number of arrest and ticketing seems a bit low - considering the amount of bylaw violations on the system.
AoD
Transit police fight crime with baton and bravado
Jul 16, 2008 04:30 AM
Tess Kalinowski
Transportation Reporter
They confront the same weapons, the same kinds of assaults, theft, street drugs and drunks as regular Toronto police officers do.
As sworn peace officers, they have the power to issue tickets and make arrests for all manner of crimes, as well as for TTC bylaw infractions.
But the men and women who wear the blue uniform of Toronto's "other" police force battle a public perception that they're just glorified security guards.
"Our officers are very motivated, very professional, and it can be challenging if you're dealing with somebody who's questioning your authority," says the TTC's chief special constable, Terry Andrews.
The role of the TTC's 95 special constables came under scrutiny recently when an outside consultant began reviewing the job and its use-of-force requirements, including whether to arm constables.
Last week, the transit corps was credited with helping to keep the growth in crimes on the system to about 4 per cent – on pace with gains in ridership last year.
Transit police uphold the law on a system that carries 1.5 million riders daily – twice the size of Mississauga, says Sgt. Rick Stewart, who allowed the Star to join him on patrol recently.
Earlier that day, two special constables arrested a woman accused of stealing a purse and attacking a rider with a knife. Two weeks earlier, they arrested a man believed to have pushed someone off a subway platform in May.
Like all police, they spend a lot of time responding to routine calls, discouraging panhandling and loitering, answering questions and offering directions.
Even with teams stationed underground and in surface vehicles, they face a challenge to get to the scene before a problem disappears down the tunnel or out the nearest exit.
Unlike security guards, who can act only if they see a crime in progress, special constables can make arrests if they believe a crime has been committed on TTC property.
"We arrest you on reasonable grounds, we search you, we seize evidence, we escort you to the police station, we write up a police report," says Stewart.
Most transit riders treat them with courtesy and respect.
Those most likely to challenge their authority are troublemakers with the savvy to recognize their uniform is different – no red stripe down the pants, a pale blue shirt, a blue band around the hat and no "police" emblem.
The distinction is "misleading," says Stewart, "because there is no enforcement option I can't (use) that a regular police officer can, except the Highway Traffic Act."
Plainly visible on their uniforms are the Kevlar vest, expandable baton, handcuffs, radio and pepper foam. It's what's not there that has drawn the most controversy.
Special constables do not carry Tasers or firearms, and a discussion of those weapons has been removed from the parameters of the review to be released later this year.
Six transit cops interviewed by the Star say guns and Tasers are tools they should have.
"There's not a police service in the province that would do the work we do unarmed," says Stewart, an 11-year veteran of the TTC.
At the same time, armed or not "there's not one of our constables who would stop doing this," he says.
"Anybody who's involved in a policing career should have the tools to do it effectively for the protection of themselves and the public," says Jay Lawrence, another special constable.
He has stopped to chat with Stewart outside the St. Andrew subway station, where he and his partner are dealing with a fare dispute.
Special Constable Danielle Blay accompanies Stewart for part of the subway patrol, offering directions, checking obscure corridors for loiterers, warning a rider tapping on his laptop to hold tight to his belongings.
She loves the job so much, she says, her friends roll their eyes when she starts talking about work.
But she is keenly aware of the danger, too: "The first thing out of my mother's mouth is: `Why do you want to risk your life for a job?'
"It's not going to be the gun call that gets us hurt," says Blay. "It's the smoker we investigate who might have a gun. You have to be vigilant in every situation."
For now, the issue of arming constables is closed, says Andrews, but the emphasis on officer safety remains. "We are in the process of evaluating their activities, the controls we currently have in place, and are there any additional measures that we can implement."
At 7:30 p.m., Stewart gets a call about an unattended backpack at Queen's Park station.
"The worst-case scenario? It's a sarin gas attack, like Tokyo," he says, referring to the 1995 act of terrorism that killed 12 people.
This time it's the best case: a red cooler containing empty beer cans.
Later, Stewart hops into a van to join two constables on the Bloor line who nabbed two kids entering the subway without paying. Turns out they're from Russia and couldn't read the signs.
Constables Bill Perivolaris and Mohamed Elatter do their best to explain things and send the boys on their way.
Elatter says his job has changed over a decade – "society has changed."
Andrews notes TTC has reacted in kind, installing cameras, creating waiting areas on platforms and letting drivers drop off late-night riders closer to home.
"In the mid-'70s the only security measure we had was the yellow alarm strip on our subway trains."
RIDING HERD ON TTC MISDEEDS
975
Arrests by special constables in 2007
906
Smoking charges issued by special constables last year
1,003
Tickets issued to people trying to pay less than the posted fare
1,556
Fare evasion charges laid last year
95
Non-unionized special constables now in TTC's employ.
The ranks include uniformed patrol corps, investigative officers and a system security unit that devises crime prevention programs.
117
Special constables expected to be serving by the end of the year
92
Number of the 117 to be deployed on the front lines
11
Weeks of classroom training taken by special constables
6
Months of field training taken with a coach/officer
1
Percentage of applicants hired as special constables
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/460972
______
The number of arrest and ticketing seems a bit low - considering the amount of bylaw violations on the system.
AoD