Metro’s transit cops are cracking down on unruly teens throughout the bus and subway system to coincide with the opening of area schools.
The police are increasing patrols near schools each afternoon to encourage kids to keep moving and remind them that food and drink are banned in the system. Littering, smoking, spitting and fighting aren’t allowed either. Minors can get written warnings or even be arrested if they don’t comply.
The transit system is also setting up a special hot line for riders to report unruly teens, the transit agency said Wednesday. And Metro police are speaking with other local law enforcement groups daily in a conference call about juveniles.
“We want to start off the new school year right, and let students and all of our riders know that their safety is our top priority,” Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn said in a written statement. “Everyone should feel secure while riding Metro.”
The new hot line, though, leads to a recorded voicemail line, so it’s not going to bring out the cops immediately.
“That number is basically to alert police to areas where riders might see this on a regular basis,” Metro spokeswoman Angela Gates said.
If there’s an actual emergency or a rider feels threatened, she said, they should call the police department’s regular emergency number.
Teens congregating on the transit system has been a perennial issue for the transit agency, especially when school lets out each afternoon. D.C. public school students often rely on the transit system to get to and from school using subsidized transit passes, while Montgomery County students get free rides in the afternoon. (Prince George’s County ended its free ride program this fall amid a budget crunch.)
Teens congregating on the transit system has been a perennial issue for the transit agency, especially when school lets out each afternoon. D.C. public school students often rely on the transit system to get to and from school using subsidized transit passes, while Montgomery County students get free rides in the afternoon. (Prince George’s County ended its free ride program this fall amid a budget crunch.)
But the transit agency has learned it must tread carefully when dealing with youngsters.
In 2000, the transit agency made international headlines when a 12-year-old girl was arrested after eating a french fry on the train system during a weeklong undercover crackdown on its food and drink ban. The attention changed the system’s policies.
Now, Gates said, young people will get written warnings for minor offenses as long as they comply with police and show identification proving they are under 18. If they don’t, they can then be arrested, she said.
“We don not want to have to punish anybody,” Gates said. “But we want to make sure everyone’s trip is safe.”
Metro police issued about 3,000 written warnings to minors in the fiscal year that ended in June, Gates said.
» As part of Metro’s crackdown on youth, it has created a hot line for riders to report any “juvenile disorder.” Riders are asked to leave a recorded message giving details about any hotspots: 202-962-2118
» But in the case of an immediate emergency, riders should call the Metro Transit Police’s emergency number directly at: 202-962-2121.
