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Ask a Muni Security Guy
In today's installment of "Ask a Muni Security Guy" our security guy answers questions that commenters asked last time around. He will also discuss this week's Muni news about budget cuts and their impact on Muni security. And before we go to the post, we'd like to formally announce that "Ask a Muni Driver" will be returning next Monday as we have another driver willing to answer all your questions.
As always, if you have any questions to either the driver or the security guy, e-mail us at editor@sfist.com.
Now back to our regularly scheduled broadcast.
Earlier this week, the Examiner had a story about Muni's attempts to deal with their budget problems. One of the reasons for the budget problems is that they haven't been able to hire the fare inspectors needed to collect the money that was projected to come in.
Here is our security guy's response:
"Fare Inspector hiring was delayed due in part to SFPD Deputy Chief Tony Parra (the "head" of the MTA Security and Enforcement Division) and MTA Human Resources / City - County Controllers office.
The extra positions were justified and submitted to the Controllers office for approval. The Controller only okayed x amount per month - 6 usually. We wanted to start up to 10 per month but Controller and HR office slowing things WAY down.
I don't think the extra personnel will help put a dent into the "fare evasion" but their presence would help. The fare inspectors are only assigned to trains. There is a pilot program to get the fare inspectors onto the buses and this is being met with resistance - internally and externally.
Externally - SFPD is arguing we're taking their jobs away by doing this.
Internally - the MTA is scared to face up to the real facts. Most riders take the bus, not
trains.
Cable Cars: We have fare inspection staff working in plain clothes "monitoring" the conductor, the person who received and handles the cash and issues receipts. WAIT until their union finds out. fare inspectors are in Local 250-A as are cable car conductors and gripman. Their own union members reporting on their counterparts... !!!
And in case you were wondering, fare inspectors make between $50,102.00 - $60,892.00 a year. You can read all about it here.
After the jump, he answers your questions.
These were asked in last week's post-
im really curious about the fare citations. ive seen them handed out but i dont understand how they can be enforced. i mean, without a liscence registration (like parking tickets) or a photo/finger print (like any major arresting) how do you know people will pay the citations?
They are enforced by the information provided by the individual. The courts determine if the citation was answered by the cited individual or otherwise taken care of. The courts themselves issue the fines - generally very low. fare evasion citations are not taken very seriously by the courts. There is a process in the works that fare evasion citations will be handled through the DPT Hearing Officer in the future.
Why doesn't Muni have a police force similar to the Bart police? Why aren't these two forced combined? (this caused some confusion when I tried to talk to a Bart officer about a crime I spotted on the Muni platform, not Bart's, in Powell one day)
Politics, pure and simple. SFPD does not want to "loose" positions by having others present to "do their job." Yet - SFPD is up to 500 positions down. They don't have the people to do their own job let alone provide any resemblence of "safety" or "security" for muni.
Years ago, in the 70's, there was a muni transit police but that was federally funded and basically a stepping stone for folks to get into SFPD (at that time). After the program expired (funding stopped), it went by the wayside. In the meantime, SFPD absorbed the Port Police and the Housing Authority Police (when they were all separate agencies). Look at what the Port has now - the Port pays for one (1) full time officer. The Port never sees him/her. Look at what the Housing Authority has now - nothing (basically). The calls are handled by the District stations only. The housing authority contracts with private security (Professional Protective Services - pretty sure of that name or PPS for short) now and they handle most of the housing stuff.....
Re inforcement, I suspect that they'd try to detain you and wait for a real cop to take you away if you didn't have ID. If this were LA, you can bet that the cops would beat the shit out of you for not having ID. In the city, who knows.
For those individuals that cooperate and wait, the fare inspectors will call for the SFPD. The response time is another story - half an hour on up to an hour average wait time. This is not a priority (high or otherwise) for SFPD.
Muni has security? I just LOL'd
Yes, you're right, it is very LOL.