Investigation reveals Metro bus assaults, plan to improve safety

King County Metro revealed Wednesday that its safety plan to address assaults on drivers and riders will include a price tag of $6.4 million to outfit all 1406 Metro buses with cameras.

Currently, 48 percent of buses have cameras. The plan, which will be laid out in a report to the King County Council in July, also examines adding more deputies.

The need for cameras, which Metro says help deter and solve crimes, became clear earlier this year.

In the first three months of 2016, there were 36 assaults on King County Metro drivers and passengers, pushed higher by a spike in January that caught King County's eye. Some 32 were on drivers; four assaults were on passengers.

It's an increase over that period last year. In 2015, there were 89 assaults in total, with 77 on drivers and 12 on passengers.

Assaults range from extremely violent attacks to someone spitting on a driver or fighting with another passenger; mental health issues and drug problems are common.

"The fact that we had 77 assaults is just unacceptable," Operations Manager Ted Harris said. "Our goal is zero."

VIDEO: Captain Marcus Williams of the Metro Transit Police discusses crime on buses

A KIRO 7 investigation found that the routes with the most security incidents are the RapidRide A line between Federal Way and Tukwila; the RapidRide E line between Shoreline and downtown Seattle; route 7 between Rainier Beach and downtown; and route 120, between Burien and downtown.

Sequoia Dolan used to ride Route 120 with her kids.

"I'm in a car now," she said. "I don't even go on the bus anymore."

Dolan said she found needles on board and was threatened by a man with a knife.

"I get on the bus and he follows me, trying to pull out his pocket knife," she said. "There's no cameras!"

RapidRide buses, which allow for multiple boarding areas on the buses, all have cameras.

It is the regular Metro buses, which rotate among seven bases and among different routes, that will need more of the technology.

For example, on Feb. 24th, a man punched a Metro driver in the face on a bus in Auburn. Deputies were able to arrest the man, who was armed with a knife, but if he had gotten away, it would have been tough to track him. The bus had no surveillance system.

It's gotten to a point that for people who appear dangerous, paying a fare has become a suggestion, not a requirement.

"Our fare policy is very clear," Harris said. "It says only ask for a fare if you think it's safe to do so and that's very unusual."

Metro has seen success with cameras before, when it installed its first batch of cameras as part of a 2009 Metro safety campaign that significantly reduced bus driver assaults.

"Buses are really a traveling evidence box," Harris said. "They're video. They're audio. We need more of that."

Harris joined King County Metro in 2014 from Washington D.C.'s transit authority.

"When I was in Washington, we had a 100 percent camera fleet," he said.

San Francisco also has cameras on all its buses and in February of this year, Bay Area Transit announced it had had begun installing additional cameras to cover the interiors of all 669 train cars. Denver Regional Transportation District has cameras on trains, light rail, and about 90 percent of its 1,000 or so buses, with the exception being older bus models that are used if additional special service is needed. Atlanta's MARTA system expects to have cameras on all its buses, mobility vans, and trains by August 2016.

King County Metro is trying to get there by 2021 in a proposal announced by King County Executive Dow Constantine in February. The $6.4 million cost will retrofit existing buses with cameras and cover cameras options on new vehicles, too. It will not cover support staff, updated software, or growing video storage costs.

Kenny McCormick, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 that represents bus drivers, said the assaults have become a serious problem for drivers and riders.

"We have a large number of people who don't ride the bus because they are afraid," he said. He thinks the additional cameras will be helpful, but he wants to see Metro monitoring those cameras better to track troublemakers who have appeared on camera in assaults before.

"People have to feel safe in order to use public transportation," McCormick said.

VIDEO: Metro Transit Police Capt. Marcus Williams on bus property crime

Even when there are cameras, sometimes, they're just not working.

Donna Street was waiting for her bus in downtown Seattle in 2013 when Martin Duckworth shot a bus driver.

"He slugged him in the side of the head and then I heard a pop," she said.

Police gunned down Duckworth on another bus. Cameras on both failed to record anything.

Metro says it's focused on that, as well.

Instead of checking cameras as part of regular maintenance every two months, Metro has assigned two full-time technicians to check cameras every month.

Street said it is difficult to protect riders and drivers against the mental health and drug crisis that can manifest itself in crimes. She no longer takes the bus at all. But she is glad Metro is adding more of the technology.

"Every little bit helps," she said. "It would be nice if you felt safe on a bus."

For transit police, a working video system in as many vehicles as possible is important.

"The cameras have been a huge benefit to us," Capt. Marcus Williams said. "We continue to rely on that evidence on a daily basis in these investigations."

"How do you reassure passengers that these buses are safe? When you don't have all the cameras there, when you don't have all the deputies you need or want?" KIRO 7 asked.

"Well, 120, 121 million trips," Harris said. "Our buses are safe. These events happen very infrequently. It's unfortunate that they happen at all, but overall we have a great system."

Metro is also looking at adding video monitors so people will see themselves on the bus and even a dedicated crime analyst to look at trends on different bus routes.

On May 31, Metro will work with bus drivers to hold its first-ever summit on operator assaults. They expect drivers to share their experiences and talk about ways to reduce attacks.

Do you get involved if there's a problem on your bus? Metro police weighs in. 

Video here.

Reporter: "If something does happen, if there's an assault, an assault on a driver, an assault on another rider, does the passenger get involved? Does the passenger just call 911? What is the best thing to do?"

Captain Marcus Williams: "You know, traditionally we tell people not to get involved as far as assault are concerned. You've seen some situations where passengers have become involved. They've acted with valor. I'm always impressed when people do that. It's always a personal safety decision. If that individual feels like they can assist without further damaging the situation or further aggravating it, then I would say we appreciate all the help we can get. By the same token, people need to keep themselves safe and they need to evaluate that on a case by case basis."

Cox Media Group