DART making series of security upgrades to ensure safer rides for passengers
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — The next time you ride DART, there will be dozens of extra eyes watching you.
It is part of a series of upgrades meant to improve safety and comfort for riders like Steve Hlubik, who says he sees someone breaking the code of conduct nearly every time he takes a train.
"Smoking, everything. Marijuana, coke, cigarettes," he said.
That is why DART is bringing in 100 armed security officers, who will be hopping on trains and buses to clamp down on that behavior. Twenty-five new officers began training Monday.
"It's hard to have a police officer or a fare enforcement officer on each one of those vehicles," said DART spokesperson Gordon Shattles. "This is going to be able to fill that gap to have a presence available."
But there are other upgrades that are more behind-the-scenes. All 7,700 cameras are being upgraded to the newest technology. DART is also hiring additional employees to monitor the cameras throughout the day.
DART is also adding physical deterrents in areas where homeless encampments tend to form. And, in the next few months, riders will start seeing response teams comprised of a DART officer, a medical technician and a mental health provider.
"They'll be able to travel throughout our network. If we run across someone who is experiencing homelessness, if they're experiencing a mental health concern, we're able to immediately get this team out there," said Shattles.
Riders say the upgrades come none too soon, and believe they're already making a difference.
"I'm safer now because they're doing something about it," said Hlubik. "A month ago, I didn't feel safe at all."