Vancouver transit cops to get guns

[tsian]

VANCOUVER - The 82 officers who patrol Vancouver's rapid transit SkyTrain system will be allowed to carry guns, the regional transit authority says.

There's widespread support for the idea, said Bob Kind, chief officer of the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (TransLink) Police Service.

"It's come from the public, it's come from the government, it's come from TransLink," he says. "It's something that's required, a secure and safe system has always been a priority with TransLink."

All but 15 of the 82 are former police officers, and those 15 will be trained before being allowed to carry a gun. The remaining staff will have their skills re-evaluated.

Until now, the officers who patrol the SkyTrain lines have had to rely on police backup.

Even with the guns, Kind said, the transit officers will not be replacing the police.

"The key thing you have to remember is that we are a supplementary police unit," he said. "We are not a full police department."

The transit force works closely with municipal police, but those forces still have full responsibility in their jurisdictions.

TransLink said SkyTrain police face dangers just like other officers, so there is no reason why they shouldn't be authorized to carry weapons.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national ... 50322.html

Oh Goodie. Hopefully this will reduce the number of lethal shootings on skytrain from zero to.. uh... zero?

Because, transit cops are so often in a situation where shooting someone would be an adviseable option.

Granted, people are occasionally caught with concealed (as in not being used on the train) weapons and people do occsaionally get mugger... but, err, wouldn't pepper spray and a tazer be just as effective?

[Drazo]

but, err, wouldn't pepper spray and a tazer be just as effective?

Agreed. It's undeniable that the mugger, rapist, or whatever deserves what he/she gets. Besides, it's self-defence isn't it?

As for the guns, it's a little drastic but IMO it's the best when handling extreme situations such as terrorists, hostages, riots, etc.

[tsian]

As for the guns, it's a little drastic but IMO it's the best when handling extreme situations such as terrorists, hostages, riots, etc.

And, umm... when was the last time Terrorists were caught riding around on skytrain plotting their evil deeds?

Besides, as the article points out, Transit Special Constables are not a full fledged police force. Though they've recently been given enforcement powers outside the station (previously their jurisdiction stopped at the station entrant) as well as full powers of arrest, their main goal remains insuring safety on Sky Train and ticketing fare evaders.

[Exalted Ugu]

Moreover, In a terror or hostage situation, i think i'd feel safer if the RCMP or VPD's ERT (SWAT, to you) personell handled it, rather than a squad of semi-retired policemen who are little more than train conductors in fancy suits.

As much as it might suit the egos of these former policemen, i don't think they have any demonstrated or even projected need for firearms.

-ugu

[tsian]

To be fair, they are cops with powers of enforcement. I wouldn't call them train conductors in fancy suits

[TerraFrost]

And, umm... when was the last time Terrorists were caught riding around on skytrain plotting their evil deeds?

I think Drazo's comment was meant to be a little broader than just trains. I mean, I don't imagine trains would be the best place to conduct riots, either

Also,

Oh Goodie. Hopefully this will reduce the number of lethal shootings on skytrain from zero to.. uh... zero?

Where might I find statistics on crimes committed in skytrains? 'cause you certainly seem to know more about the subject than is in the article, which kinda puts everyone who might disagree with you at a disadvantage

[tsian]

Where might I find statistics on crimes committed in skytrains? 'cause you certainly seem to know more about the subject than is in the article, which kinda puts everyone who might disagree with you at a disadvantage

I don't have any statistics on crime in skytrain. I do know that there are occasional (usually gang-related) assaults on SkyTrain. I've never heard of a murder on skytrain, however and have been able to find any news articles which mention anything like a shooting.

There have been a few deaths on skytrain, though as I recall, one was a suicide and another was a seriously mentally ill person who unfortunately caught herself between two cars somehow.

[shahmask]

I think you are being a little overdramatic tsian. atleast you don't have the NRA saying that public school teachers should be armed.

[tsian]

No, of course not. But theres very little good reason I've seen as to why these police officers need to be armed.

[shahmask]

a lot of police agencies in the US are actually moving away from tazers saying they cause more harm to people than they are worth. i personally think that's the biggest piece of bullshit NRA propaganda. well, that and insisting public school teachers should be armed. but, honestly, i have no problem with transit cops being armed. some of the people that get on transit are scary. and i only ride the buses that come in from the nice suburbs.

[tsian]

Yes, but I almsot never see scary people on Skytrain... probably not like you do. And it's not like the 'scary' bus (which really, still isn't that scary) doesn't get cops.

[shahmask]

so it's only skytrain and not the bus systems?

[tsian]

Yes, while there are supposedly undercover cops riding on the busses, I would doubt if thats true or amounts to more than one officer.

Skytrain special constables are just that -- constables who patrol the skytrain line and assist in fare enforcement (since, technically, I don't believe 'skytrain attendants' have the power to write tickets)

[gmags2]

javascript:emoticon(':mad')
Mad

These guys are already assholes. Now they will be assholes with guns. Just great! Aparently most are retired RCMP officers. Maybe their many years of experience in the RCMP has given them all big heads! Ever notice them giving tickets to people on the 1st of the month when they don't have the latest monthly pass!? Even if they have monthly passes for the last 3 months in their wallet. This is clearly a paying transit customer but the transit assholes still give them tickets and are probably pretty proud of it. Do they have some kind of quota to reach in tickets before they get their pension paychecks??!

In my annoyance I've started asking everyone who asked me for my fare for ID to prove that they are valid transit workers/police. One cop, a few days ago, was nice about it and showed me his ID but I ran into one today who was SUCH an ASS!! Not only did he refuse to show me some ID (a simple courtesy; and it almost seems like the law that he should) but he got pissed off (his head was clearly too big) and yelled at me for a bit. I kept my cool and let me rant on for a bit. He kept saying that "I'm a uniformed officer" and "when I ask for you fare you are required to show it immediately". Sure sure. I was perfectly prepared to show my fare and he could have avoided all this business with getting mad and yelling if he was just nice enough to show me some ID as well. I mean, anyone could just as well dress up as a cop and go raving about asking for fares, and yelling at some people too. Then he went right up to my face and yelled "if my uniform is not good enough for you then nothing is!" On the contrary, a piece of ID would have been perfectly good enough. Maybe I should have said that I'm clearly dressed like a student so you should just assume I have a UPASS. I wish I would have got his name so I could file a formal complaint, although he would have probably refused to give me that as well! After 10 minutes or so he threatened to arrest me for obstruction of justice. By that point I was convinced that he wasn't going to show me his ID, and I was pretty satisfied that I had wasted enough of his precious transit checking time, so I showed him my fare and went on my way.

I think these guys just take their job too seriously. I mean yelling at people for simply asking for some ID, giving people tickets on the 1st of the month, trying to look all tough by travelling in packs of 4 of 5. I think they should relax a bit like normal people. I'm all for them being there and keeping the sky train safe, but they shouldn't take their job frustration out on innocent commuters.

Well. Point of the story is, if you've read this far, that next time you get asked for a fare, ask for ID first, and see how they react. Chances are you'll be surprised at how pissed they get at such a simple request. Ask nicely too, and be respectful, because that will catch them off guard even more.

Happy sky training!

[shahmask]

do they wear uniforms like "police officers"?

anywho, u are preaching to the wrong people. you're preaching to the people who's courts ruled that you have to show your id to police for no reason and refusing to do so is an arrestable offense. so, ha!


our transit authority's security, similar to private policing foreces (security guards) can't arrest anyone.