KOMO News

Suspect arrested in deadly shooting at Federal Way Transit Center KOMO News A 19-year-old man was shot dead Thursday afternoon at Sound Transit's Federal Way Transit Center, and a "person of interest" was taken into custody shortly ... and more »

Federal Way expects camera net to cut crime TheNewsTribune.com, WA Sound Transit plans to add three more cameras on transit center property in the next two months; they will be part of the Safe City system. By September, Sound Transit plans to upgrade 30 of its 50 cameras at the center. The transit center has been the ...

Looks like Sound Transit is boosting security at the Federal Way Transit Center. Here's the press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — April 24, 2009 New security upgrades coming to Federal Way Transit Center Sound Transit and its local partners in Federal Way are continuing with security upgrades at the Federal Way Transit Center to ensure rigorous monitoring at one of the regions’ busiest transit hubs. Sound Transit will upgrade select security cameras at the site to new higher resolution formats and also provide a direct video feed from the transit center to the Federal ...

Police are checking surveillance video as they try to identify people who beat a disabled man at the Federal Way Transit Center.

Bellevue citizens! Utilize your chance to communicate with the Bellevue City Council  regarding Sound Transit’s proposed alignments for light rail in Bellevue.

The hearing will start at 8 p.m. in the Council chambers at City Hall, 450 110th Ave. NE.

Sound Transit released a draft environmental impact statement for East Link on Dec. 12, 2008, and set a 75-day comment period. The document is a detailed study of potential routes in Bellevue.

The deadline to comment is Feb. 25.

How dare you, TriMet, concoct a new page on your site around basic rules to ride by.  I mean, many of them sound like (gasp!) some of the public transportation riding etiquette tips I’ve posted in the past!  Why… that means: (Wax on) If you follow proper public transit riding etiquette… (Wax off) then you’re most likely following the rules. Let’s go over the rules TriMet posted on this new page of theirs: 1) Valid and Correct Fare Is Required.  Well, we’ve certainly covered enough personal

In an article on the PNW Local news website, the issue of budget cuts is raised re: police coverage on Sound Transit corridors and unincorporated areas:

“Unincorporated King County will have less law enforcement”

“Citizens in unincorporated areas of northeast King County — including parts of Redmond, Woodinville and Duvall — would be “terribly exposed” to crimes including thefts/burglaries valued under $10,000, bad checks/fraud and regional drug rings because loss of deputies and staff would eliminate most investigations, said (King County Sheriff Sue) Rahr. ”

“We also are Sound Transit and Metro Transit police — we cover 2,000 square miles with that service … and handle homicides, forensics, Homeland Security. … We really are a metropolitan police unit,” Rahr emphasized, countering the notion of a quaint sheriff’s department in a fictional town like Mayberry. “

First of all, it’s completely irresponsible to cut police & security services when the population keeps growing- and what does that mean for cities along a light rail line?

If King County is looking at: “the loss of 21 positions, both commissioned and non-comissioned personnel. King County Executive Ron Sims has called for more reductions in 2009, further slashing up to 70 more jobs in the Sheriff’s Office”, then what happens at light rail stations and on the trains when the inevitable happens- crimes like the typical, numerous assaults in Portland?

Is Sound Transit going to require the cities to pay for security that the light rail line passes through?

Have the cities budgeted for that? Probably not.

Could the cities afford to provide sufficient security to keep their citizens safe? Probably not. Portland isn’t doing a great job of that:

Hire 160 Officers for Light Rail, City Tells TriMet

Crime on the MAX- The Oregonian

North Portland MAX attack renews fear, safety worries

Knife attack on bus raises security concern

71 year-old budgeoned with a bat on Tri-Met

Before the ST2 light rail proposal is voted on in fall 2008, citizens should be assured that what is happening in Portland will NOT HAPPEN here.

Who will take responsibilty for the security budget? Sound Transit? King County Sheriff’s office? We just heard from them that they won’t have the coverage.

Seattle? Bellevue? Redmond?

A recent article in The Atlantic indirectly sheds some light on Portland’s light-rail crime wave. The article notes several research studies have shown that demolition of major housing projects, such as Chicago’s Cabrini Green, was soon followed by suburban crime waves. Residents of the housing projects used section 8 vouchers to move to lower-middle-class suburbs [...]

Details: King County Sheriff’s budget warning (and jail talk) West Seattle Blog, WA - Jun 21, 2008 Rahr’s department also polices Metro transit, she pointed out, adding it’s just been tapped to police Sound Transit, which she says means job opportunities ...

Transit center crimes on the rise KING5.com, WA - Feb 26, 2008 By JESSE JONES / KING 5 News SEATTLE – Sound Transit’s own numbers show a dramatic rise in major crime at two of its busiest centers. ...