Issue Position: A Safe Ride, For All

Issue Position

Date: Jan. 1, 2014
Issues: Transportation

The Boston Globe recently highlighted a very alarming statistic: MBTA drivers have reported being assaulted or threatened on 22 separate instances during this year alone, compared to 18 cases during the same time frame in 2012. Just this past week, there were two separate, senseless attacks on MBTA bus drivers. My thoughts go out to the victims, their families and their fellow co-workers; I also applaud the public safety officials who are working diligently to bring these attackers to justice.

While everyone is entitled to a safe workplace, this is often not the case for our public employees like bus drivers, train operators, public utility workers, and emergency medical technicians, who often work late hours and are isolated while on the job. To help ensure their safety I recently filed, An Act relating to assault and battery on public employees (S. 718), with the help of the MBTA Chief of Police and the Boston Carmen's Union -- Local 589. This important legislation will effectively give police another tool to combat crimes against public employees, including MBTA workers.

This bill, if passed, would allow a police officer to arrest an individual he or she has probable cause to believe committed an assault and battery on a public employee, emergency medical technician, ambulance worker, or healthcare attendant. As the law stands now, police officers can only hand a suspected person a summons for this crime.

It's important to remember that our public employees, emergency medical personnel and transit workers are performing a needed and vital public service. Their work and expertise is crucial to the public safety of our society, and is often taken for granted. We all rely upon and expect a safe transit system, roads and utilities that are properly maintained and emergency responders and healthcare workers who help those in need. In turn, we need to offer protections to those who on many occasions serve us.


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