BALTIMORE, MD – A new national study shows the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) was again America’s safest transit system in terms of serious crimes (Part I) in 2016 out of the top 12 transit agencies. The study was conducted by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).
Part I crimes are serious offenses that can occur with regularity and are likely to be reported to police. They include aggravated assault, arson, burglary (breaking and entering), criminal homicide, larceny theft, rape and robbery.
“The Maryland Department of Transportation’s MTA has made tremendous improvements over the past two years, thanks in large part to the launch of Governor Hogan’s BaltimoreLink plan to transform transit in the region,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn. “As this study shows, the safety of our customers remains the top priority.”
The MTA had no homicides, shootings or rapes and a total of 240 Part I crimes for the year 2016 – the lowest total of the transit systems in the cities and states studied, which includes Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
With interagency collaboration at the federal, state and local levels, MTA Police reported the fourth straight year of declining crime figures, according to the study. The number of serious crimes reported has decreased from 388 in 2013 to 285 in 2014, 255 in 2015 and 240 in 2016 on MTA Local Bus, Light Rail, Metro Subway, MARC Train, Mobility and Commuter Bus.
“Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our passengers and operators,” said MTA Administrator and CEO Paul Comfort. “We are proud to have the fewest serious crimes of any of the top 12 transit agencies in America. The numbers show that the MTA continues to be a very safe transit system to ride.”
According to Colonel John E. Gavrilis, MTA Chief of Police, “The low crime rate on the MTA’s transit system is the result of the hard work and dedication of the men and women on the MTA Police Force. Our message is clear and it is that we will not tolerate criminal activity on the transit system.”
The MTA Police Force added 20 uniformed police officer positions over the last two years to enhance its available resources. MTA Police utilize the Compstat process to smartly deploy its resources (data driven deployment/predictive policing) and have embraced the latest technologies available in security monitoring as a force multiplier. The MTA Police Force has approximately 49 memorandums of agreement with federal, state and local agencies, which greatly enhances its ability to provide a police response to patrons across the state.
The Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is one of the largest multi-modal transit systems in the United States. MTA operates Local and Commuter buses, Light Rail, Metro Subway, Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) Train service, and a comprehensive Paratransit (Mobility) system. MTA also manages the Taxi Access system, and directs funding and statewide assistance to Locally Operated Transit Systems (LOTS) in each of Maryland’s 23 counties, Annapolis, Baltimore City and Ocean City. MDOT is a customer-driven leader that delivers safe, sustainable, intelligent and exceptional transportation solutions in order to connect our customers to life’s opportunities. MTA’s goal is to provide safe, efficient and reliable transit across Maryland with world-class customer service. To learn more, visit mdot.maryland.gov or mta.maryland.gov, check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/mtamaryland and follow us on Twitter @mtamaryland.
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