Security cameras aren't just for banks, schools, hotels and office lobbies. Now they'll also be on Detroit buses, Christine Ferretti writes in The Detroit News.
The city on Monday will begin outfitting its bus fleet with surveillance equipment in an ongoing effort to curb violence on some of its most troubled routes.
Detroit’s Chief Operating Officer Gary Brown says the initial, $123,000 effort will equip 50 city buses with cameras within a month. . . .
Safety concerns on DDOT buses have heightened over the last year and sparked protests after eight drivers were hospitalized from attacks by passengers in a nine-month span. . . . A 14-year-old boy was stabbed [last Wednesday] after attempting to quell a dispute between two other passengers on one of the city’s most problematic routes.
Images and audio from eight cameras on each bus will be transmitted to a security base.
The goal is to show potential troublemakers "that security is a top priority and you are being monitored,” Brown tells The News.
Brown said the city will solicit bids to complete the work on an additional 200 buses in the fleet after federal transit officials complete a review of its request for proposals. The effort is being funded through Federal Transit Administration dollars.
