Wednesday, October 7, 2009

T3s Worry Metro Cop's Wife

The following is from “Roma Tekovi,“ who claims to be the wife of a Metro Transit Police Department officer.

She writes about the news that MTPD is testing out 2 T3 vehicles and will possibly buy more. She says she is “concerned for” her husband’s “health, welfare, and safety, and wonders if he's getting MickeyMouse training and will pay a price for it because proper common sense precautions aren't followed.”

In her words:

What galls me is that I know every Metro cop has to pass physical fitness requirements when they join the force, and they're thinking about getting these. Granted, they won’t be able to run as fast as the T3, but when riding a T3, officers have no way to quickly find cover if they're fired upon, and they are not in a position to draw their weapons to protect themselves or others.

Capt. John Brandt, a captain with the University of Maryland Department of Public Safety, reviewed his Segway fleet (Segways only go half as fast as a T3 is reported to go) in 2007. He contradicted the premise made by Metro Police Deputy Chief Jeff Delinski said about the T3s in the Washington Post article, namely that "the way these parking facilities are set up, it gives the advantage to the bad guy."

Brandt wrote:

“We’ve been using our Segways for almost a year. I’ve reached an opinion that they aren’t easily adaptable to day-to-day ‘enforcement-oriented policing,’ … can’t be ridden up and down stairs … can’t easily be hauled up stairs, over walls or fences, or through mud or thick foliage. It’s great for foot chases as long as your suspect is slow and stays on reasonably level terrain. Your average fleeing felons are faster than you and they’re eventually going to jump over something; a curb, steps, a fence, etc. You don’t really have the mechanical advantage that a bike gives you and the speed of the machine is just too limiting. Of course, if you’re chasing a perp across an airport runway and have unlimited visibility, you’ll be able to keep him in sight and eventually run them into the ground without ever breaking a sweat.”

Can you imagine a foot chase ending at a dark corner of a garage because the suspect runs into a stairwell? Would a responsible office be expected to leave his $10,000 T3 at the foot of the stairs to engage in a chase? Or how and when does an officer draw his weapon or dive behind cover in the event of an immediate threat from a suspect?

The Metro Police can hardly maneuver through crowds on their feet. How could they manage to part the sea of people on a T3?

Additionally, what is it going to cost to maintain these two test machines? Multiply that by the number in a fleet the MTPD is hoping to buy.

Imagine this scenario: sensors in the T3s are not working, but Metro doesn’t have the money or time to replace them. So, they let the officers ride the faulty T3s and incur serious injuries to themselves and/or Metro patrons.

If running is such an issue, let's not only have our MTPD police graduate in shape, but keep them in shape through workout mentor programs and mandatory regular fitness tests, like the military does. There have to be enough fitness gurus in the department who would be willing to literally go the extra mile for their fellow officers, right? Let them step up in the interest of the safety of the Blue Fraternity.

The T3 is just another gimmick for Metro to be pretentious, when in actuality it wastes money and, ultimately, places the officer's lives in more danger and makes them less efficient at their jobs. Chief Taborn is taking a page out of John Catoe's book when he's risking the lives of his officers in this way. It’s time to get back to the basics: get your cops in shape, and keep them there.

Save the pseudo-Segways for mall security and people transport.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow. This is just astonishing. In times of serious budget shortages Metro wants to coddle their police force and waste money on single purpose machinery that doesn't add to the safety of the police or the riding public in any way?

Talk about completely out of touch.

Anonymous said...

OK. Whose brother-in-law sells those T3's?

Anonymous said...

What do the MTPD cops need to do that that they can't do on foot or in vehicles that METRO already owns? How can METRO justify spending big dolalrs on this kind of gimmick and then cry poor-mouth when they don't have the funds to operate and serve the customers, or to fix safety problems? Fer cryin' out loud...

Anonymous said...

It sounds like Congress in session.

Anonymous said...

Metro police would be better off with POGO STICKS than those clumsy expensive T3s!!

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I forget they're real cops and not security guards.

Anonymous said...

What waste of WMaTA money, have 2 un aramed speical Police whum only can arrret'powers. have power in Dc not in Va and State Of MD, When Will CHEIF TABORN get off his ass and fix this isssuye befor one own may be next fellow offiers
Whre WHERE ARE NEW bLUE winter jacket????


your dept spent $3ooo on three wheel while at timehe SPO Officers lack Winter Jackits a protect from eements

CHIEF TABORN is not respecting the working condition of All SPO Offfers> It Time To Have Meetiing and have An Vote Of no confidence , since his action clearly show not basic eqepoment knowledge m badget isss4
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Anonymous said...

911 NEVER HAPPENED for the Unarmed SPO Officers only if work at Metro Hqrs can you carry an Gun to guard upper Metro Mangement!! He lets report this waste of Homeland Security Funds to have Men, woman,to work 24 hrs , 7 days an week Unarmed, and working in Va, Md without proper Legal rights

Anonymous said...

911 NEVER HAPPENED FOR SPO OFFICER UNLESS YOU WORK AT MERTO HDQRS TO PROTECT UPPER MANGEMENT!! LETS ALL CONTACT HOMELAND SECURITY AND LOCAL ELECTED OFFICALS THAT WE UNARMED NOT LEGAL WORK IN VA, MD WORK 24M HRS AN DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK UNARMED, NO RAIN COAT, OS SPAY, AND CANT EVEN HAVE HAVE GET WINTER COAT. LETS CALL WASHINGTON POST THERE WILL LOVE DO ARTICLE ON OUR UN-ARMED ILL EQIPOMENT UNIT THOROW OUT TO DRY SPO

WMATA SPO Offficers ) AT Risk, no tring / gund said...

911 NEVER HAPPENED UNLESS YOU WORK AT METRO HQRS AND BE LUCK TO BE ALLOWED TO CARRY AN GUN TO PROTECT UPPER MANGENENT AND MIS LEAD GENREAL PUBLIC THAT ALL WMATA PROPERTY IS GAUARD THE SAME . IT FALSE. LETS REPORT TO DEPT HOMELAND SECURITY THAT GRANT MONEY BEEN USED TO HIRE NOT ONLY UN-AREMED SPO OFFIRES BUT WILL NOT TAKE MONEY FROM THERE BUDGET TO EVEN GIVE US NEW UNIFROMS, OS SPAY AND LEAGAL WORK IN VA. MD AS SPO OFFICERS. IM SURE WASHINTON POST WOULD LOVE TO DO a DEPTH INVETAGATION OF WADTE NOT ONLY TAx PAYERS MONEY BUT RISK TO OCCCIERS PUBLIC

Anonymous said...

Waste and More Waste by MTPD !!!!!!! With SPO Guard force of 100+ SPO 75% are un aramed and not liecence to work in Va/M.D. working in security booth leaking with warter, no phone, no rain coats to protect themselfes. Then Lastly all MTPD offfials whom LIED to us getting new winter Coates aka CHIEF TABORN, DEUPY CHIEF WEBB and final Duty Cheif T Simmms all make big Salarty 60$ Have LIED!!! . When MTPD switch new uniofroms last year there all replaced and no mis matching old from new It clear that unarmanerd SPO are looked upon ther dept as contact security. IT TIme file charges to Dept HOMELAND DIVISION in regards wastre Fedral Grant to prodice secuitty to not only to protect WMATA asssits an workers WHEN WILL WMATA AND CHEIF TABORN WAKE UP TO PROTECT OUR SPO OFFICERS ABS PROTECT THE GENRAL PULBILC

Anonymous said...

What large Police Dept would first Appoval where of blue BDU in early spring 2008 Then memo can out from Capt. Mecafle saying that Blue BDU will be phased in as new unifrom. Just this Week {The WORM has Turned" } up dated policy states you can where brown winter jackect with blue BDU . But you Cant Wear the Blue BDU Winter Jacket with any othere unifrom, WHO going to BUY the Correcect BLUE BDU jackect that all othere MTPD Offiers wheere. It may be time to have Fedreal Goverments pull and chech who MTPD mismanages , moneys for basis working condtions . "{ The DISHONERD SPO}

Anonymous said...

What Leadership From Cheif Taborn!! How can such person sleep at night knowing that there SPO Officers Men, woman with famlies putting there lives on line to Gauard Merto Propery unarmed, lack Profession Unifroms. And Have SPO Offical with rank Sgt, LT, Capt, driveing In Unmarked Police Carry Fire Arm in State of Va. MD in Volation Sate Law.

Anonymous said...

The Sad part that WMATA SPO OFFICERS starting PAY is only $13.54hrs to start with SPO Armed Commisiion, even though you can legal carry gun in MD Va , The Avg SPO Armard salary in Washintod D,C, Arae is 18,78 22.54 , The WNATA pay scale is off base, We need fight in up coming Union Contract to have WNATA SPO Wadges increasesed THOUGH OUT TODRY SPO

Anonymous said...

The New SPO Management " Its Hard To Fly Like an Eagle, When Your Surrouned by Buzzards!!

Anonymous said...

What Typle Police Dept. Could Allow one there upper Mangement{Lt} to Pull And point an Loaded Gun from an officer Holter and Still work At SPO Offical. Only WMATA go cover there own Officals!!!

Anonymous said...

Reading some of these postings are hillarious. there written by people who either don't understand the design of Metro garages or the intended use of the T-3 vehicles as a means to cover a vast amount of garage space to visually check the thousands of vehicles that utilize the area. You won't find any articles written anywhere that quote their use for chasing down a suspect!

The SPO's who complaint about their uniform and coat delimma...they all must have forgotten that the Blue uniform was a choice that was offered to them and not a mandate. If you chose to look like the sworn MTPD personnel by wearing the Blue BDU uniform, then you can purchase yourself a winter jacket to match, otherwise wear your Brown winter coat with the brown uniform you were issued.

Bottomline, if you don't like what your job requires of you, find new employment.

The vote of "no confidence" should be made for those who sign up for a career that they ultimately don't want to fulfill.

Anonymous said...

There Reason why the "The Biggest Snow" Hit the area same day this response was made!!! Sometimes it best not to Address Issue that wrong and not based on fact but waste funds. The FPO stated that when MTPD switch new Uniforms that all MTPD officer we allowed purchased new design Unifrom in full not mixed Match. Thanks posting your Opions to support a on Going Union Greivances to Support 95% SPO postion Officer.

Anonymous said...

We Dont have Cheif Of Police at WMATA !!!he is to buy beind An "Safety Expert" to do damadge control WMATA.

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