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SEPTA swears in 21 new officers amid violent attacks, shootings on Philadelphia public transit

By and FOX 29 Staff
Published  June 21, 2023 10:44am EDT
News
FOX 29 Philadelphia

21 new SEPTA officers sworn in with more to follow

As the city continues to combat deadly gun violence plaguing its streets, SEPTA has sworn in a batch of new officers to join the fight.

PHILADELPHIA - A security guard critically shot on a train; masked juveniles attack a bus full of passengers. Philadelphia residents may find themselves in the middle, and sometimes the targets, of violent crime onboard SEPTA.

21 new officers were sworn in and officials say an additional class will start the police academy next month. It comes at a time the system is working to improve safety and restore confidence, and they feel an additional police presence will help.

 "We’ve heard from our riders that they want to see police officers on our system," says Leslie Richards, SEPTA General Manager and CEO.

After spending six months in the academy, the officers graduated last week and officially hit the street Wednesday. Police say with the upcoming class and four hires from other departments, they will meet their budgeted 194 officers by early next year. SEPTA leadership credits last year’s bump in pay as one reason why.

 Police say the majority of the new officers will work the Market-Frankford Line, where they see the highest ridership along with the highest number of crimes and disorder.

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Last month, SEPTA's new police chief Chuck Lawson said reducing gun violence on SEPTA property was "undoubtedly" his biggest challenge.

Just days later, chaos erupted on a SEPTA bus after masked juveniles assaulted and shot passengers on board.

A security guard was then critically injured after he was shot in broad daylight on a SEPTA train later that month.

RELATED COVERAGE: Ski masks banned from SEPTA property, Transit Police Chief says: 'You will be engaged by police'

In an effort to keep passengers safe, SEPTA banned ski masks from all public transit property.

"If you come on SEPTA property wearing your shiesty, you will be engaged by police," Lawson said. "So I want you to think about it."

SEPTA crime statistics show a slight increase in overall incidents in May versus April this year, but Chief Lawson says they’re also ramping up enforcement—averaging 200 tickets a day, and 2,000 removals off the system a week.

"We enforce low-level criminal engagements because we think it reduces violent crime and more serious crime on the system," he says. "This group is going to contribute to that."

The goal to increase ridership to pre-pandemic levels is also an ongoing effort, and officials say perception of safety is a part of that. Richards says they saw a 17 percent increase in riders after the I-95 collapse.

 We would love to keep those riders," says Richards.

 New SEPTA Transit Police Officer Hadiyah Williams hopes her presence will encourage more women to feel comfortable riding.

 "I was once a rider growing up in Philly and I knew officer presence would make me feel safe, so I felt like I wanted to be a part of that," she says.

SEPTA officials say the board will vote on the 2024 operating budget Thursday which will include more than $58 million for safety and security, a 10 percent increase from last year’s operating budget.