CATS has had cameras on every light rail vehicle, the park and ride lots, and every platform from the beginning. I am not sure but I don't believe they have them on the buses. Charlotte Mecklenberg Police hop on and off the trains at irregular intervals to check tickets, and private security Officers patrol the park and ride lots and garages.
This picture of a portion of the dispatch center was taken at an open house before service began, so it shows the same camera on many monitors.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Phoebe Vet The thread has run off the rails, hasn't it?
The thread has run off the rails, hasn't it?
Indeed it has. Here is an update to re-rail it. DART has announced that it will station a police officer, i.e. Dallas City, DART, Fare Collector, Security Guard on every DART train for the foreseeable future. This probably will stem the crime wave that has hit DART's light rail trains and will help assuage the public's concerns about riding light rail. It will also increase DART's light rail costs, although DART has not published any numbers.
Placing the officers on every train is a response, at least in part, to a shooting at a Richardson, TX station a month or so ago in which a bystander was killed. If I remember correctly, the bad guy was killed also, although that is small consolidation to the family of the bystander.
DART has ordered new rail cars for the Green and Orange line extensions. They will be equipped with 24/7 cameras to monitor the cars and their occupants. Moreover, it will replace most of its current bus fleet by 2015. All new buses will be equipped with cameras. All of this is necessary. And all of it will increase the cost of public transport.
NKP guy The idea that Texas, or any other state, could thrive if it were outside the Union today, or were to leave it, is just as romantic and preposterous an idea as Scottish or Quebecois independence. But some people want to believe in myths if it suits their needs and ideology. That being said, there is an argument (not original with me) that can be made that it was a mistake to fight to keep the South in the Union. It is this: had the South been out of the Union after 1861, there would never have been 500,000 avoidable deaths, the national agony of Reconstruction, the national embarrassment and humiliation of Jim Crow and disenfranchisement, no Ku Klux Klan, and the advent decades earlier of sane and responsible gun control, concern for the environment, an effective national health care plan, and a political climate where adherence to reactionary religious ideas didn't drive national public policy, to say nothing of the need for a Civil Rights Movement in the first place. Perhaps Horace Greeley was right after all. Maybe the Union should have said, "Erring sisters, depart in peace." We might have been a more tolerant, progressive Nation if we had. Im jus' sayin....
The idea that Texas, or any other state, could thrive if it were outside the Union today, or were to leave it, is just as romantic and preposterous an idea as Scottish or Quebecois independence. But some people want to believe in myths if it suits their needs and ideology.
That being said, there is an argument (not original with me) that can be made that it was a mistake to fight to keep the South in the Union. It is this: had the South been out of the Union after 1861, there would never have been 500,000 avoidable deaths, the national agony of Reconstruction, the national embarrassment and humiliation of Jim Crow and disenfranchisement, no Ku Klux Klan, and the advent decades earlier of sane and responsible gun control, concern for the environment, an effective national health care plan, and a political climate where adherence to reactionary religious ideas didn't drive national public policy, to say nothing of the need for a Civil Rights Movement in the first place.
Perhaps Horace Greeley was right after all. Maybe the Union should have said, "Erring sisters, depart in peace." We might have been a more tolerant, progressive Nation if we had.
Im jus' sayin....
An interesting rant. Not really for these pages, and I do see why it is written. But not really for thes pages. An interesting rant....hmmmm....
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Phoebe,
What does that irrational rant have to do with crime in transit?
The laser visioned 20/20 view of hindsight!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Firelock76 To Sam 1: I don't know that Sam Houston thought Texas joining the Union in 1845 was a mistake, in 1861 he DEFINATELY thought Texas seceding from the Union and joining the Confederacy was a mistake, cost him the governorship. He said: "Let me tell you what is coming. Your fathers and husbands, your sons and brothers, will be herded at the point of the bayonet. You may, after the sacrifice of countless millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives, as a bare possibility, win southern independence, but I doubt it. I tell you that, while I believe with you in the doctrine of States Rights, the North is determined to preserve this Union. They are not a fiery, impulsive people as you are, for they live in colder climates. But when they begin to move in a given direction they move with the steady momentum and perserverance of a mighty avalanche." How right he was, even if Texas was the only Confederate state that was never overrun.
To Sam 1: I don't know that Sam Houston thought Texas joining the Union in 1845 was a mistake, in 1861 he DEFINATELY thought Texas seceding from the Union and joining the Confederacy was a mistake, cost him the governorship. He said:
"Let me tell you what is coming. Your fathers and husbands, your sons and brothers, will be herded at the point of the bayonet. You may, after the sacrifice of countless millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives, as a bare possibility, win southern independence, but I doubt it. I tell you that, while I believe with you in the doctrine of States Rights, the North is determined to preserve this Union. They are not a fiery, impulsive people as you are, for they live in colder climates. But when they begin to move in a given direction they move with the steady momentum and perserverance of a mighty avalanche."
How right he was, even if Texas was the only Confederate state that was never overrun.
Houston did not think that joining the union in 1845 was a mistake, but doing so led to taking sides in an ugly conflict between the states or the War for Southern Independence. Clearly, he thought that seceding from the union was a mistake and, as you note, his position cost him the governorship. Several historians claim that in retrospect he felt that becoming part of the United States was a mistake. After all, had Texas not become a state, it would not have had to choose sides in the American Civil War. And Houston would not have found himself having to go against the wishes of many Texans.
It is true that Texas was not overrun during the Civil War. Galveston was occupied briefly. And its ports were blockaded effective by the United States Navy. Nevertheless, it suffered severe economic hardship and a fretful period of reconstruction. Mr. Sam was correct. Siding with the Confederacy was a terrible mistake.
henry6 And for many reasons Sam, there are many Americans who would agree with your last sentence.
And for many reasons Sam, there are many Americans who would agree with your last sentence.
Presumably they are not amongst the thousands upon thousands of people who have come to Texas during the time that I have been here for good jobs, housing, infrastructure and, heaven forbid, minimalist government with relatively low taxes.
The media -
What is the thing the media (print, broadcast or telecast - it makes no difference) sells every day of the week and double-time on Sunday? FEAR!
How often is the headline on the news paper or the lead story on a TV or radio newscast about something bad - very nearly 100% of the time. Bad sells. Bad generates fear. Bad generates anger. Bad also generates the 'there but for the grace of God go I' - which is why it sells. Something bad happened and it didn't happen to me - I feel good that it didn't happen to me and I generate more internal fear that at sometime in the future that it could be me.
Concerning the DART incidents - how many traffic accidents resulting in serious injury and/or death occurred in the metropolitan area during the same span of time - probably two to three times the number involved in the DART incidents - where it the outrage about that? The reality is that the traffic incidents are only reported in passing, if at all, because the continuing repetitive nature of such incidents - they aren't really NEWS.
The media have one thing to sell - FEAR - and they do it very well.
henry6 When I was doing a Saturday night radio show in Binghamto, NY...a very small city at that...I was often asked by listeners and others if I wasn't scared because of the crime in the city at night. Of course I was neither scared nor deterred because the danger was percieved because of the ignorance of those who never went into town at any time! Yes, DART has a problem but it is not the shootings it is the fear instilled by the media and perception those who never go to Dallas or the fewere who would ever ride DART have. DART has to show that for every one incident on DART property on any given night is equal to whatever number of similar incidents occuring in Dallas or an average Texas town that same night. It is part law enforcement but more public relations and reality awareness.
When I was doing a Saturday night radio show in Binghamto, NY...a very small city at that...I was often asked by listeners and others if I wasn't scared because of the crime in the city at night. Of course I was neither scared nor deterred because the danger was percieved because of the ignorance of those who never went into town at any time! Yes, DART has a problem but it is not the shootings it is the fear instilled by the media and perception those who never go to Dallas or the fewere who would ever ride DART have. DART has to show that for every one incident on DART property on any given night is equal to whatever number of similar incidents occuring in Dallas or an average Texas town that same night. It is part law enforcement but more public relations and reality awareness.
Sam1 Texas is unique. I grew up in Pennsylvania, but I have lived in Texas for more than 40 years. As the clouds of the impending civil war grew darker, Sam Houston concluded that joining the United States was a mistake. He advocating reverting to the independent republic that Texas had been prior to unionization. Sounds more appealing every day.
Texas is unique. I grew up in Pennsylvania, but I have lived in Texas for more than 40 years. As the clouds of the impending civil war grew darker, Sam Houston concluded that joining the United States was a mistake. He advocating reverting to the independent republic that Texas had been prior to unionization. Sounds more appealing every day.
At least that confirms that Texas seceded from Mexico and again from the United States over the issue of slavery.
henry6 Sam, I do have friends in TX., several classmates from NJ from 50 years ago and former coworkers from 30 or so years ago. So, I really don't think most Texans are much different than the rest of us overall. However, I did have a tenent who moved his family to Galvaston from Upstate NY and quickly returned because of all the quick tempers and knife wielding inhabitants. Plus, when one of your esteemed state politicians saw fit to run for the Presidency of the US he ripped through here, at least, with a platoon of Texas Rangers who were not very nice guests: arrogant, pushy, beligerant. Other political and non political characters and corporations from the Lone Star State have also left a bad impression on the rest of us here in the Mid Atlantic and New England states. The frequent use of the States' Death Penalty as well as the portrayal of the free wheeling non chalance attitude toward guns as presented by news and entertainment media are certainly not very flattering. One sometimes gets the feeling that John Wayne and the Lone Ranger are still state hero's and one expects to see monuments and statues of them all over. Sorry, but that is the PR problem the state has.
Sam, I do have friends in TX., several classmates from NJ from 50 years ago and former coworkers from 30 or so years ago. So, I really don't think most Texans are much different than the rest of us overall. However, I did have a tenent who moved his family to Galvaston from Upstate NY and quickly returned because of all the quick tempers and knife wielding inhabitants. Plus, when one of your esteemed state politicians saw fit to run for the Presidency of the US he ripped through here, at least, with a platoon of Texas Rangers who were not very nice guests: arrogant, pushy, beligerant. Other political and non political characters and corporations from the Lone Star State have also left a bad impression on the rest of us here in the Mid Atlantic and New England states. The frequent use of the States' Death Penalty as well as the portrayal of the free wheeling non chalance attitude toward guns as presented by news and entertainment media are certainly not very flattering. One sometimes gets the feeling that John Wayne and the Lone Ranger are still state hero's and one expects to see monuments and statues of them all over. Sorry, but that is the PR problem the state has.
schlimm Sam1: With the exception of Connecticut, every state in the union permits the carrying of concealed weapons under certain conditions. Wrong. Illinois does not permit concealed carry and this was recently affirmed in Federal court as constitutional.
Sam1: With the exception of Connecticut, every state in the union permits the carrying of concealed weapons under certain conditions.
With the exception of Connecticut, every state in the union permits the carrying of concealed weapons under certain conditions.
Wrong. Illinois does not permit concealed carry and this was recently affirmed in Federal court as constitutional.
You are correct. Also, I overlooked the fact that DC does not permit carrying a concealed weapon under any circumstances.
Connecticut appears to have changed its stance, perhaps because of the horrendous crime committed there. A doctor's doctor's family was wiped out by two nut cases. As a result, according to the Hartford Courant, Connecticut decided to retain the death penalty. Perhaps it also decided to modify its stance regarding concealed or at least licensed weapons because of the crime, which is one of the most heinous crimes to come to my attention.
So lets see. One state for sure, DC, and possibly another don't permit the carrying of a concealed weapon under any circumstance. That leaves how many that permit a weapon to be carried under strictly defined circumstances?
Sam1 With the exception of Connecticut, every state in the union permits the carrying of concealed weapons under certain conditions.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
Sam1 Phoebe Vet: And how many people were shot elsewhere in the Dallas metro region in that same period of time? What makes you think that DART was in any way a cause or focal point of the violence? It does not matter. The key point is that many people in Dallas, as well as other Texas cities, perceive that public transit in their community is dangerous. That is their perception, which is also their reality. The challenge for DART is to change the perception, because it is one of the reasons why DART's ridership is down significantly.
Phoebe Vet: And how many people were shot elsewhere in the Dallas metro region in that same period of time? What makes you think that DART was in any way a cause or focal point of the violence?
And how many people were shot elsewhere in the Dallas metro region in that same period of time?
What makes you think that DART was in any way a cause or focal point of the violence?
It does not matter. The key point is that many people in Dallas, as well as other Texas cities, perceive that public transit in their community is dangerous. That is their perception, which is also their reality. The challenge for DART is to change the perception, because it is one of the reasons why DART's ridership is down significantly.
Phoebe Vet And how many people were shot elsewhere in the Dallas metro region in that same period of time? What makes you think that DART was in any way a cause or focal point of the violence?
henry6 And so what would we expect from a state that boasts the allowance that everyone can carry a concealed gun and the law enforcement is done either by comedic Jackie Gleasonesque characters or somber vigilantes or stoic Rangers? Sorry, but that is the picture a lot of us non-Texans get from the stories and boasts eminating from the Lone Stars.
And so what would we expect from a state that boasts the allowance that everyone can carry a concealed gun and the law enforcement is done either by comedic Jackie Gleasonesque characters or somber vigilantes or stoic Rangers? Sorry, but that is the picture a lot of us non-Texans get from the stories and boasts eminating from the Lone Stars.
The public image of Texas is mostly wrong. It is the third most urbanized state in the union. Although none of my friends have a license to carry a concealed weapon, obtaining a license to do so is not terribly difficult. Come to think about it, I don't have that many friends. Many of them are dead! Although none of them were shot, a few of them had a few too many shots, if you know what I mean.
With the exception of Connecticut, every state in the union permits the carrying of concealed weapons under certain conditions. Texas along with three other states will issue a permit on request providing the requestor does not have a criminal record, has not just been released from the looney bin, and agrees to take a training course on the safe use of firearms. Pulling a weapon on a person in Texas will get the licensee a trip to the slammer in quick order. Believe me, spending time in our lock-ups is not a pleasant experience.
Not to worry Henry. If you plan to be in the Lone Star state in the near future, I will have a posse meet you at the airport. We'll be happy to protect you from the bad guys. You do know how to ride a horse I presume! Our highways are not what they should be! Oh, and don't forget to bring a tent with you. We're a bit short on accommodations these days.
There have been four murders or killings at DART stations since November 2011. That's four dead humans if your counting. Make all the excuses you want. Point to other dangerous aspects of life in America. It does not override the fact that many people in Texas believe traveling on public transit is dangerous. And they won't do it.
"On Tuesday an assailant staged a running shootout with a DART Officer at DART's Arapaho Center Station in Richardson, which is the first suburb northeast of Dallas. The assailant and a bystander were killed, and two other people, including a police officer, were wounded.
Last month, Dominique Wilson, 20, was shot to death after he traded insults with another man at downtown Dallas’ Pearl Street Station.
In December, an armed man with a lengthy criminal history was shot and killed aboard an Amtrak train at Union Station in a confrontation with Dallas police. A bystander was shot and wounded.
In November, teenage robbers fatally attacked 19-year-old Octavius Lanier at a Fair Park-area station and threw him into the side of a moving train.
DART had said after those incidents that it was re-examining security measures by its 300-officer force."
Typical! There is nothing like a few killings, at least in Texas, to get the coppers attention. But until the bodies begin to stack up, forget the warnings, which is pretty much the modus operand-a here, preventive measures are few and far between.
Its not the fault of the police. They do the best they can. But thanks to politics and management ineptness, securing funding for adequate law enforcement is usually a day late and a dollar short.
Punishment rarely prevents a crime as most violent crimes like murder and attempted murder are spur of the moment reactions to events. Plus, how many bad crimes are there really compared to non criminal actions? One crime gets reported and every sneeze and hiccup gets front page for the next year. But, one door held for another, one dropped item picked up and returned to owner, one seat given up for another, etc., never gets reported. Those not used to croweded urban living over react to such bad news events as a innner city replant overreacts to the odors of a dairy farm or having to service a pump for water or tend to the life of a septic tank complete with flies and mosquetos.
For every action there is a reaction. The good, the bad, the ugly. I've got a car with gas fill on the passenger side...so I pull up to gas stations with pumps on my right. One day a clown coming at me quickly fills the space blocking my ability to the pump then screamed that I shouldn't have bought a car with the cap on "the wrong side" and made some other remarks of my pedegree, parantage, etc. So, he, parked at a 90 degree angle to the pump proudly pumped his gas as smugly as possible. Yes I was furious and vowed never to go back to that gas station again. But I did a week or so later. Same deal. But this time the guy coming at me stopped short, backed up to the other pump and waved me on ahead. So, yeah, stuff happens. You usually win more than you lose. So, I wouldn't get so upset over one event, one crime. Usueally those in control make the necessary adjustments to ward off further problems. And the newsmedia gets bored with the same old same old.
Oh, surety of punishment is certainly THE deterrant. Back in the 80's there was a very ugly incident in New York City where two thugs broke into a convent, and if memory serves raped two Catholic nuns and murdered one of them. The police in the New York- New Jersey area went into overdrive trying to find them. Several days after the crime they TURNED THEMSELVES IN. Why? The Mafia put out a "contract" on them. It's true, I got it from the cops. Seems the dirtbags preferred to take their chances with the criminal justice system than with the Mob. Wonder why?
Isn't it spooky when Sam and I agree?
While we have had some intense discussions on a couple of points, I suspect that we agree more than we realize.
Phoebe Vet I am a retired police officer. Actually, it is not the severity of punishment but the surety of punishment that is the deterrent. Draconian penalties are not a deterrent if the person doesn't believe he is going to be caught. The person who has been arrested 10 times for driving drunk has probably actually done it hundreds of times. Each time he gets behind the wheel he believes he will make it home OK again this time. People today do not believe they will be caught. If caught they don't believe they will be convicted. If convicted they don't believe they will get the draconian penalty. Minor penalties will be enough if the person gets caught and punished EVERY time they step out of line. The penalty must also be timely. Justice delayed is justice denied. Draconian penalties should be reserved for the person who has proven over and over that they are not going to change.
I am a retired police officer. Actually, it is not the severity of punishment but the surety of punishment that is the deterrent.
Draconian penalties are not a deterrent if the person doesn't believe he is going to be caught. The person who has been arrested 10 times for driving drunk has probably actually done it hundreds of times. Each time he gets behind the wheel he believes he will make it home OK again this time.
People today do not believe they will be caught. If caught they don't believe they will be convicted. If convicted they don't believe they will get the draconian penalty.
Minor penalties will be enough if the person gets caught and punished EVERY time they step out of line. The penalty must also be timely. Justice delayed is justice denied.
Draconian penalties should be reserved for the person who has proven over and over that they are not going to change.
Absolutely! Well said!
For most people perception is their reality. If they believe that transit, especially at night, is dangerous, irrespective of the facts, they will stay away from it. This is a common perception in Austin and Dallas.
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