The Charlotte City Council on Monday approved a new agreement with the Charlotte Area Transit System’s private security firm to patrol more areas in and near transit property. The vote came a month after 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska was killed on the Lynx Blue Line.
Professional Police Services, a private company, currently provides security on buses and the light rail. The new agreement extends the area that PPS can patrol, such as the Rail Trail and sidewalks outside the main bus station uptown.
CATS said recently 20 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers will also help PPS, and that its new security plan is “fully operational.”
City Council member Malcolm Graham said he would like CMPD to eventually take the lead on security, not a private company. Ed Driggs said the city will have to consider being more aggressive in dealing with passengers who may not be breaking the law, but who are making passengers uncomfortable.
Edwin Peacock said he wants more from CATS.
“I’m just trying to get to the visibility of cops on trains,” Peacock said. “This is where the citizens are really confused. We have individuals that are riding these trains now and people don’t know why they are there, and they don’t feel safe. And people want to know are we responding to it?”
He said the city needs to give the public more information, considering the number of governmental agencies that are investigating the transit system.
“We have the Department of Transportation, the (Federal Transit Administration), state of North Carolina,” he said. “It just keeps coming, guys, and I’m waiting to hear something. Give me confidence that this is going to change.”
Cagle said the transit system is complying with those investigations.
City Council member Renee Johnson said she’s upset the city hasn’t released information yet on how many crimes have been committed. She said council members have asked for that, and she said it should have been released long ago.
“It seems like we are supporting inaction,” she said.
Johnson also asked Cagle if there would be an officer on each train.
Cagle said that’s not feasible.
