Transit police chief laments staffing shortage amid string of assaults at MBTA stations
BOSTON -- Carly Noonan used to regularly take the train into South Station but now, she takes a ride share if she can. Noonan and other commuters have voiced concerns about recent crimes committed inside MBTA stations.
"I've seen people bullying people, people constantly asking for money, and it's just, it's sad, honestly," Noonan said. "There's not enough security."
Last week, Transit Police officers arrested a Medford man for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon inside South Station. The same day, another man was arrested for indecent assault and battery inside Copley Station.
Earlier this month, a Transit police officer was beaten and dragged by a group of young people inside the Forest Hills Station.
In Quincy, a 64-year-old Asian woman was kidnapped from the Wollaston T station and raped in a nearby parking lot, police said.
At a safety meeting organized by Quincy Asian Resources Monday, Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green told the crowd that his department strength is 276 but he currently has 70 unfilled positions.
"We could actually use 500 to 1,000," Green said.
According to Green, there were no officers stationed at the Wollaston station at the time of the kidnapping because it is not a high-traffic station.
"The incident occurred around 7:08 on the 12th, Saturday morning. We wouldn't have had anybody there. We wouldn't have had anybody there, to begin with. It's a shift change. Shift change happens about 7:30 in the morning. We've had little to no crime there," Green said.
Boston City Council President Ed Flynn said crime at the T could be indicative of a larger issue: higher crime across the country and fewer police on the streets.
"Certainly we have an increase in violence across Boston and including the Mass and Cass area which also includes many areas throughout the city such as the Downtown Crossing area, the Boston Common area," Flynn said.
A spokesperson for the MBTA released a statement, saying in part, "In addition to using an extensive network of surveillance cameras and regularly scheduled police patrols, the Transit Police command staff makes strategic deployment decisions regarding which areas of the system warrant increased attention."
Transit Police said there are 18 student officers in the academy and they are in the process of hiring 25 to 30 more for the February class.
