Sierra Chevrestt, a fifth-year sociology and communication major, was mugged on the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) metro line on her commute home Tuesday. But, after the altercation, her concerns weren't focused on the assailants who swiped her phone, but on the cuts the NFTA has made in its police department.
The NFTA is currently facing a deficit of $14.7 million, and up to 170 positions will be eliminated. This includes the Transit Authority Police Department, which has cut 18 positions in a staffing department of 90 in the last two months.
Chevrestt was playing with her phone while sitting in the train, admittedly not alert and aware of her surroundings. She was approached by a group of young men who knocked her phone out of her hand. A struggle followed, but the men were able to make it off the train with her phone, and they caught another train going in the opposite direction.
Immediately following the incident, Chevrestt went to the "Emergency Call Button" located outside the train, and the police arrived within 12 minutes. It was around 8:30 p.m., a time, in Chevrestt's opinion, that many students are commuting to or from night classes at UB.
One of the two responding police officers aired his concerns about the current state of the NFTA's staffing to Chevrestt.
"He said, ‘Listen, if this happened the same way and we were reporting to a bus crash, we're not showing up [to your incident], and you're filling out a report the next day at the police station because we are that sorely understaffed,'" Chevrestt said.
The officers told Chevrestt that there were two patrol cars covering the entire NFTA system, including all the bus and train lines. It was the officers' opinion, and Chevrestt's alike, that the coverage wasn't adequate.
"It's unfortunate that an officer would say that," said C. Douglas Hartmayer, director of public affairs for NFTA. "We are having contract negotiations with the officers, so they are saying things to try to make their case to the public that would give the impression that the system might not be safe based on the cuts that are taking place."
The cuts were made, in part, to help balance the NFTA's budget. But another reason for the cuts is that grants given specifically to fund additional officers have expired, and there isn't money left from the previous grants, Hartmayer said. The NFTA dealt with its situation by scaling its police force back to 2005 levels.
"The system was safe in 2005, and with those [2005] levels we will continue to ensure the safety of our customers and employees as we go forward with our new levels of staffing." Hartmayer said.
Hartmayer also said that though the number of passengers has increased in recent years, the system hasn't expanded to cover any additional ground. In fact, routes are being slashed rather than expanded.
Still, Chevrestt doesn't feel that two patrolling officers is the appropriate amount of staffing for a Tuesday evening. Hartmayer wouldn't say how many NFTA officers are on duty at any given time, saying that releasing the information would create a "security-sensitive situation." He ensured that there will be officers patrolling the public-transit system, whether on the bus or metro lines, at all times to guarantee the safety of passengers.
Chevrestt took the incident as learning a tough lesson in a hard way.
"I made mistakes I won't make again," Chevrestt said. "But also knowing that if something were to happen despite my best efforts, I feel a little less secure, because I met two officers – and they were great guys and they did their jobs well; I trust them completely – but there is still only two of them."
The NFTA is authorized to exercise police powers and duties. Its officers are certified in accordance with the New York State Bureau of Municipal Police training, and they have authority in traffic- and crime-related matters within the NFTA's jurisdiction, according to the NFTA's website.
"We have a wonderful, dedicated police department who put their lives on the line every day when they come to work," Hartmayer said. "They do a great job, but I can sense their frustration with [the cuts in the police department]. But we would never do anything that would put our passengers in jeopardy or in danger."
Chevrestt is still a little wary of the metro lines, and she says she will definitely be more careful in her future NFTA travels. After giving herself a few nights to recover and get rides to school from friends, she says she will use the metro again on Monday night.
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Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
