The West 65th Street “Eco Village” Red Line Rapid Station has two passenger entrances: one off Lorain Avenue, the other off Madison, where two fare machines greet riders on the honorary Fr. Bob Begin Bridge behind St. Colman’s Church.
One day this spring, while three RTA transit police officers were interacting with passengers in the main station (off Lorain), a robbery occurred on the opposite side. The perp stole a phone and was able to successfully flee, officers told Scene, because the officers were “focused on checking fares rather than patrolling the whole station.” “Interacting with passengers” is how transit police brass now refer to writing citations for fare evasion. In current usage, the terms are interchangeable. If an officer assists an elderly rider with directions, that’s not an interaction. If an officer breaks up a fight between juveniles, that’s not an interaction either. If an officer responds to a call about a stolen cell phone or deals with everyday incidents such as public intoxication, open containers and disorderly conduct, those aren’t interactions.
Yet for the fare-enforcement officers on the 107-strong RTA transit police, “interactions” have become the primary focus and mission of the job. Officers told Scene that they’re now expected to have 10 interactions (that is, to write 10 citations) per eight-hour shift, an unofficial quota that has steadily increased to its current number through 2017 for reasons they can’t quite figure out. These more aggressive fare-enforcement methods have been pushed since March, they said, and have resulted in sinking staff morale and a high degree of turnover.
“People are leaving left and right,” said one officer, Brian (not his real name). “The department is in a state of chaos.”
“They keep putting pressure on us,” said another officer, Vikram (not his real name). “Enforce fares, enforce fares, enforces fares. It’s a zero-tolerance policy. If we don’t enforce fares, our jobs are in jeopardy.”
Scene spoke with these two officers, who both agreed to share their personal experiences on the condition of anonymity due to an RTA employee policy that forbids employees from talking to the media. They described what they viewed as problems with the current honor-based fare collection and enforcement system. They said that transit police leaders (and possibly RTA executive leaders) are taking advantage of flaws in that system to generate revenue. In fact, the officers said, many of their colleagues feel like they have become “nothing more than revenue generators” for the cash-strapped RTA.
Some background:
On both the HealthLine, which shuttles riders from Public Square to East Cleveland along the Euclid Corridor, and the Red Line, which runs from the airport to the Windermere Station in East Cleveland, passengers board without having to show proof of payment. This “honor system” is intended chiefly to increase route efficiency. When the Euclid Corridor project was conceived and funded, level boarding, off-board fare collection and traffic signal prioritization were all central components in the design.
On the Rapid’s southeastern Blue and Green lines, meanwhile, riders aren’t required to pay until they exit the train. Fare enforcement officers only do random checks on the Red Line and the HealthLine, where riders are supposed to pay before they board.
Those random checks were the subject of an American Civil Liberties Union study in 2010. The ACLU analyzed RTA data and found that nine out of 10 riders who were given citations on the HealthLine were black. RTA president and CEO Joe Calabrese said at the time that officers weren’t being discriminatory; the percentage of blacks cited for fare evasion was reflective, he said, of the percentage of black residents living in neighborhoods served by the HealthLine.
That explanation wasn’t good enough for the Cleveland NAACP (at that time led by George Forbes); the organization got involved to explore a civil remedy to what was then a criminal matter. Too many people of color were being needlessly exposed to the criminal justice system, the NAACP argued. Fare evasion was (and still is) a fourth-degree misdemeanor and must be processed in court. The ticket is $150, but can cost much more after additional fees and court costs.
In 2011, RTA reached an agreement with the ACLU and the NAACP to establish an administrative fee waiver. First-time adult offenders were given the option to pay a $25 fee directly to RTA and forego criminal proceedings. As long as the fee was paid within three days (online or at RTA headquarters downtown), the misdemeanor wouldn’t go on the rider’s record. Subsequent offenses within a two-year window still required a mandatory court appearance.
“Understandably, most citizens pay the $25 rather than go through the hassle of missing work and possibly losing their case, which could result in fees being assessed by the court,” said Officer Brian. “The majority of tickets written are usually given to people who are eligible for the fee waiver.”
Officer Vikram estimated that about half of the citations he writes are to first-time offenders.
In the past, writing a citation was just one of three options officers had when they encountered fare-evaders. They could also issue written warnings (Adult Violation Warnings, in the lingo), which were logged in their system but resulted in no fines, or verbal warnings, which were not logged. Officers say they no longer have discretion to make those calls.
“If you’re stopped for fare evasion, the officer is required to write a citation, unless they contact a supervisor and ask permission [to do otherwise],” said Officer Brian, “which is strongly discouraged.”
The complaints:
“Discretion is probably the most important thing we have as police officers,” Officer Brian said. He told Scene that in the long term, he thinks RTA ought to consider installing turnstiles or employing ticket collectors for a more equitable fare-collection system. RTA estimated that employing tickets collectors at Red Line booths would cost $7 million per year in salaries and benefits. In the short-term, though, Brian said the key is merely giving officers the ability to decide how to handle various situations. Fare evasion incidents are not one-size-fits-all.
The most public of these incidents occurred in 2015, when a fare-enforcement officer assaulted a rider in Lakewood who had presented a valid pass. An internal RTA investigation found that the officer violated RTA policies when he “failed to control the situation that led to an escalation of the incident.” RTA settled with the rider, Jessica Ferrato, for $45,000 earlier this year.
But use-of-force incidents aren’t why some transit police officers are singing the blues.
“You want to feel like a heel?” said Brian. “Write a ticket to a poor, confused 70-year-old woman.”
Officer Vikram said that many of the fare evaders he encounters have the money in their hands and are ready to pay the $2.50 one-way or $5.50 all-day fare, but often aren’t sure when or how to pay. In the new system, those people must be cited for fare evasion.
“If it’s someone who tells me the train was leaving and they had to get downtown for work, I’ll usually write them a ticket,” he said. “But some of them are visiting the city for the first time and are genuinely confused.”
Officer Brian said that officers are now also directed to write citations to riders who have passes in their possession but have not activated them.
“We’ve had roll calls where we’re told that ‘this is a scam,'” Officer Brian said. “In the past, I’d usually just let them activate their pass. Now, we have to write a citation. I had one [fare-evading passenger] tell me, ‘Until you fix the system, I’m not paying,’ and I can’t blame him.”
For Officer Brian, one of the reasons he decided to speak up was because aggressive fare enforcement on a confusing system has led to what he sees as an equity issue. He said he was personally bothered by RTA making thousands of dollars per month “on the backs of people who use public transportation in Cleveland because they have no other way of getting around.”
He said that this inequity perception was further solidified by another policy: On nights when there are Cavs or Indians games, officers have been told to “slack up” on fare enforcement.
“On those nights,” said Officer Brian, “when there are a lot of riders coming in from the suburbs, we’ve been directed to let people without passes pay for them.”
Officer Vikram added that this directive, like many others, has never been put in writing. Officers are often pulled in for one-on-one meetings with their lieutenant, Orlando Hudson, who has articulated this and other policies in a “clandestine” way. Officer Vikram said he was bothered by the sports-night policy too.
Scene asked Officer Brian if the policy might have to do with something else: Could it be about efficiency, for instance? Maybe there are too many people on the trains and supervisors thought it would be too difficult to enforce?
“That’s a ridiculous argument,” Officer Brian said pointedly. “If you’ve ridden the Red Line during the morning rush hour, you know those trains are packed, probably more than for Indians games. And we’re doing fare enforcement in the morning. It’s not because there are too many people on the trains.”
Related to the enforcement concerns are emerging concerns about safety. Officers said that as employee retention becomes more difficult and the total number of officers decreases, the unofficial citation quotas are borne by a fewer number of transit police.
Additionally, said Officer Brian, “instead of hiring more officers, two-officer cars have been downgraded to one-officer cars and the second officer is required to ride trains. If the officer on the train needs assistance, they have to wait for their partner, who is in a vehicle, to arrive and assist them.”
A final concern adds to some fare-enforcement officers’ impression that they exist foremost to make revenue for RTA, not to “provide a safe and orderly environment within RTA; promote the confidence of the riding public; enhance the use of the entire system; protect life and property through the prevention of crime and terrorism; and to work in collaboration within RTA and with regional partners to respond and recover from man-made and natural disasters,” as outlined in the transit police mission statement. Recently, officers have been required to stand on Public Square and ticket drivers who accidentally drive down the closed-off portion of Superior Avenue that, since March 6, has been open to bus traffic. This, too, removes officers from patrolling the system.
The bigger picture:
When asked to identify the motive for the more aggressive fare-enforcement policies, all the officers could do was speculate.
“There’s no reason, that we can tell, why the new rules are in effect,” said Officer Brian, “other than to arbitrarily increase ‘the numbers.’ It doesn’t make any sense.”
Officer Vikram said it’s possible the policies have come from higher up the executive chain. “Maybe someone’s getting some kind of bonus?” he thought out loud. He said Joe Calabrese had been making noise about the need to increase revenue, especially with big financial challenges on the horizon. By 2019, RTA could face as much as a $30-million budget deficit, fueled in large part by an annual loss of $18 million in tax revenue from Medicaid managed care organizations.
Whatever the cause for the new policies, Lt. Orlando Hudson has embraced them with fervor, officers said, and has shared the enthusiasm with transit police chief John Joyce, a former FBI guy who is regarded as a competent leader in a “retirement gig.”
“The last time I saw him,” said Officer Brian, of Chief Joyce, “it was a few months ago. He came down shaking everyone’s hand and asking us to keep [these new policies] quiet. They were very worried about them getting out.”
Hudson is the only lieutenant in the fare-enforcement division. There are three commanders above him, one of whom is Hudson’s cousin. Hudson, who has been with RTA for 19 years, is presumed to want to advance further up the chain.
“I think he’s juking the stats,” said Officer Brian, who, like Vikram, attributed much of the current tension to Hudson himself. “If I’m writing a ticket out at East 105th, it gets a citation number and a case number in our system. Before, it would just be a citation number. But now, it looks like each ticket is two incidents.”
When these concerns have been brought to Lt. Hudson, officers said, he has denied and deflected. There had been rumors circulating, for instance, that if officers didn’t write enough tickets, their jobs would be in jeopardy. Hudson, they reported, took an officer into his office to head the rumors off.
“‘People are saying that if you don’t write tickets you’re going to be fired,” Hudson was reported to have said. “‘But I didn’t say that. What I did say is that you’re here to write citations. And if you’re not gonna do what you’re paid to do, you’re going to be accelerated up the disciplinary process.'”
Officers fail to see the distinction.
RTA responds:
RTA was presented with the concerns of officers and asked a series of questions related to fare enforcement and transit police personnel.
RTA said that fare-evasion citations net the agency about $4,000 per month, and that that figure has not changed substantially through 2017. RTA rejected claims that officers were no longer able to use their discretion and said that they were never “required” to write a citation. Meetings from supervisors only occurred with the most delinquent officers.
“There have been situations in which a transit police officer has documented NO encounters (which includes no customer service encounters) throughout a given month and issued NO fare evasion warnings or citations,” a statement read. “In those cases, that officer would likely be questioned by his supervisor for reasons why no encounters have taken place.”
Regarding fare cards, RTA’s statement suggested that officers would ticket riders who haven’t activated their five or 10-trip cards, but only when riders have done so “repeatedly.”
Regarding event nights, RTA said that policies were in place to increase efficiency. “Customers exiting the trains at Tower City are asked by Operations staff to hold up their fare card, and those customers are moved through the open turnstiles,” a statement read. “This saves time and moves the large crowds along quickly and safely. However, if any customer does not have a fare card, they are immediately directed to the staff standing nearby so that they can purchase their tickets, and the appropriate fare is collected.”
The statement said that RTA is hiring more officers and that the goal is to have as many transit police officers “out and about” (instead of in cars) to increase visibility, thereby increasing the safety and security of customers.
Finally, RTA rebuked the notion that fare-enforcement officers were revenue-generators for the system.
“When they are working as fare enforcement officers, Transit Police officers’ goal is not to generate income but to ensure that customers are not robbing RTA of the fare that is due to the transit system for their ride,” a statement read. “Their fare enforcement efforts serve as a deterrent to others who might be thinking about not paying. Their efforts also serve to inform our paying customers that the cost of the service should be borne by ALL customers who ride, not merely by those who are honest enough to pay their fare. Fare enforcement helps maintain that level of integrity in the fare collection. If there were no consequences for failing to pay, then everyone might not pay.”
This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2017.
Smells like Lt. Orlando Hudson isn’t the only one “deflecting” common sense questions.
RTA has desperately needed a change in leadership for years — which has deteriorated to what is found prowling around the Village of Linndale.
9/10 people issues tickets for fare evasion by RTA were blacks? Honestly, they must be profiling whites to issue tickets to if they can find enough white RTA riders to make it to 10%. Seems like they would have to issue a citation to just about every white rider to make it 10%.
“nine out of 10 riders who were given citations on the HealthLine were black”
No shit.
They must be profiling whites in order to get the number of citations to 10% of the total. They would have to cite just about every white rider to get that high.
Fake news, I would never say any of this rubbish.
I can not confirm nor deny any of the quotes in this article. Heheheheheheeeee kchkchkch
Officer Vikram, Officer Brian, You guys are the $#!+!!!!! About time someone found a way to get this information out, the TRUTH. Anyone else who said this out loud in front of “Lt. Orlando Hudson” was automatically put on his “target list” to find a way to fire them. How dare you not agree with him. Transit Police have several great officers with compassion to protect life and property of RTA passengers and property. That department has so much potential in being one of the best departments in Cuyahoga County. The leadership is the main problem, they get bonuses by licking Joe Calabrese asshole. Joe calabrese is a business man, a smart one but what everyone fails to realize, although he is the “big boss” CEO does not mean Transit police solely work for him and his goal to gain more and more money while the officers that the GOVERNMENT FUNDS AND ORDERED FOR RTA TO HAVE THEIR OWN DEPARTMENT DUE TO THE CAPACITY OF RTA BEING A LARGE TRANSIT SYSTEM” HE DOES NOT CONTROL AND SHOULD NOT CONTROL HOW THE OFFICERS WORK. At the end of the day there is nothing he can do if we don’t get the numbers he wants. So concerned about fare evaders only and makes all these threats. I was an officer there for under 3 years and never met the infamous Joe Calabrese. He does not care about the Transit Police Officers who are in foot pursuits daily with armed criminals, he does not care about weapons being hidden on RTA property, He does not care about a few of his officers that got hit by car and ran. No appreciation to the officers stopping drug trafficking on RTA property, Human Trafficking that is taken place on his property. “Oh the fare evasion rate is in this percent rate punish and threaten the officers now” really what’s the percent rate on car thefts, convertor thefts, on RTA property, robbery, kidnappers, how many gun calls, shots fired at RTA busses, RTA stations, the amount of weapons and drugs taken off the streets buy real crimes committed????? Officers putting their life on the line daily only to be unappreciated and threatened for fare evasion rate. NYPD put turn styles at every single station, there fare evasion rate is 0%. Fare evasion can lead to bigger things. I support the system, nothing in life is free, Also noone is entitled to free rides but that is not the most important thing on RTA property to keep hounding officers for. These men and women took an oath to protect and serve, they risk their life, they had the same training as any other police officer at any other department. They are REAL POLICE. Most important thing to an officer is our discretion, leadership even took that away. Wow 10 citations a day?? It was only 7-8 when I was there That department has so much potential and amazing hard workers, it’s a shame that Lt. Hudson can get away with “violating so many of RTA policies” along with his family that clock in and literally disappear the rest of the shift until it’s clock out time. Noone hounds them on their numbers or work ethics. Cheif Joyce is a very reasonable man and a smart one, a good man but he needs to stop looking the other way when it comes to “Hudson and Jordan” He is the Cheif for a reason and should be more involved and alert to what Hudson does. I’m pretty confident when I say I’m sure he’s passed every test he’s taken for his stripes as well as Commander O’Neil, Commander Gettings. Great knowledgable leadership, nothing is personal to them. They do the best they can in a circumstance of whom they have to work beside as in leadership. You could be an amazing officer with TP, getting drugs, guns, felony warrants 24 hours a day there but if Hudson doesn’t like you for whatever reason or you don’t agree with him, it will become his mission to harass and harass you until he can fire you. Every department I know the chief personally does any termination and should be the final decision maker. Not hudson doing whatever he pleased based on his personal relationship with an officer. Every other week he has a new target. Never anyone from his family though or of the same color as him. It’s a damn shame how much power one useless man can have in that department. Kudos again to Officer Brian and Officer Vikram for finding a way to get some truth out!!
I see a finger solely being pointed a the Hudson guy but I certainly can tell reading this that there was a lot more favoritism and bias before he even got his position. Crazy how whoever sends the already questionable policies down the ranks are not being spoken about are not being named or blamed for Hudson having to enforce nonsense, I’d assume just to keep his job. Police departments do have ranks right??
I believe all Police Departments have a ranking system for hiring and promotional tests. But obviously they have lowered their standards when hiring someone who 1. Lied on his application. 2 . Didn’t even pass the test to be hired. Also I wonder why he would leave the great department like the Metro Parks? When I was there I had to fight for my military pay while I was gone, that place needs some change at the top to keep the department from collapsing.
How about fixing your fare machines? I’ve had to ride downtown without a ticket fairly often because the fair machines at the stations are out of order. I was almost cited twice for that. They told me “you need to plan ahead”. I’m buying a pass at your station to ride on your service. It’s your fault, not mine.
There was many incidents of transit police abuse of authority on the Healthline, where in one incident, a elderly woman and two young children were hassled by the transit police, who come on the bus like they are the gestapo and demand to see fare passes. Because this woman, who was disabled and was sick, as she was headed to UH, she was hassled because she could not pull out her card fast enough, and also made threats to her and the kids. However in this instance, there happened to be another person that was caught that did not have a valid pass card, and this distraction took them away from harassing the woman and the kids. There have been many of those type of incidence on the Healthline, and they seem to harass people in many different areas going on their commute. Some. like myself, was harassed 3 times in one trip, which is absurd and ridiculous. Of course you see this happens more on the east side areas than the west side, especially on the Healthline, where it routes through the black neighborhood and past the hospitals and colleges, and it appears to be more of a revenue trap than it is about fare, to the people that rely on public transportation the most.
I have something to say about this I was giving a ticket after I told them I had a bus pass but because it was not swiped or stamped they still gave me a ticket this is unfair maybe you need to put the machine on the red line by the time you swipe inside the rapid pulls off now your late for work etc.I believe they do profile because I have seen on west 25th they would have
10 people sitting out there and would have bus pass all I have ever seen was blacks so please RTA transit cops are racists and always pin pointing just to get money. No I will not pay the fine why because I had a pass all they could have done was have me swipe my pass and let me be on my way RTA transit is bullshit they so worried about money.
They need to fix the fucking fare machines. Then people would be able to at LEAST pay for their shit.
Not just a need to fix the fucking fare machines, but to make them more user-friendly. If nYC and Chicago can do it, why can’t Cleveland. I have ridden on systems all over North America, and ours is one of the worst when it comes to paying fares.
When there’s a big downtown event, the lines can be out the door of the stations because the suburban newbies cannot figure out how to pay, so many of them don’t. Especially the ones who ride once or twice a year to a ballgame or some other event, such as a parade.
Is this their fault? Are all the suburbanites and out-of-towners too stupid to figure out the workings of a goddamned fare machine? Hell, no…the fault lies in the design of the damn things. When people get pissed off and don’t pay, then they are nailed by the Gestapo.
Used to be they understood the sad situation, and let people buy a ticket or swipe their fare card or whatever…now the little Nazis who are higher up in the chain of command are forcing them to cite the victims of all that poor design, under threat of being fired. And then there are the abusive ones who harass and threaten and occasionally beat people up to show who’s boss, but that’s another story for another time..
The system itself works, in getting people where they want to go. It’s the fare-collection system that blows dead donkeys. And then they wonder why people get burned a few times, say “Fuck it!” and decide to drive instead? A rip-off of forty or fifty bucks at the downtown parking facility sure beats paying a huge fine in court, or being extorted by the stick-up artists of RTA.
Transit cops (who do try to keep the thugs in check) have never been high on my list to begin with, but this story really stinks. It’s like the state troopers existing solely to collect money from speeders by writing tickets 100% of the time, at every traffic stop, no matter what. That’s not their primary job, to issue tickets and collect fines. Let the cops be cops, and not robbers.
Chuckles the Clown
One word………Boycott
When is this aggression going to stop, all I try to do is go to work everyday, come home, and take care of my family. I understand people need to pay for their tickets but this is insane, how much more revenue does the RTA want to gain by placing a financial burden on the backs of the citizens of cleveland. Orlando Hudson you should be ashamed of yourself for creating this hostile environment or at the very least pushing the biased agenda that the suits at the RTA have decided to establish. I am tired of the harassment and will be purchasing a vehicle as soon as I can afford one so I dont have to deal with this type of foolishness anymore………..Thanks officers brian and vicram for bringing the truth to the light, this is exactly the type of integrity that we need to see in police departments now.
As a quick reply to Joe Tompkins: boycotts are useful in pressuring capitalist enterprises into changing out of fear of losing customers and money, and would be a useless endeavor regarding a social service as there are no profits to look out for.
1. Obviously, RTA is lying about the Transit Police being used as revenue generators as being false. We could install turnstiles at every rapid station on the system and it wouldn’t cost as much as a year’s salary for one of these bullies.
2. I have to ask why RTA has police officers in cars. If you’re not on a bus, train, or in a station / transit center, what exactly are you patrolling?
3. The suburbanites who wouldn’t ride RTA even if it were on par with transit agencies in Europe in terms of riders and usability will write this off as simple mismanagement and will say things like “this is why I stopped taking the Red Line.” Please do some research and find out why the nation’s 15th busiest transit system is having such serious financial issues. The problem lies with state funding – Ohio is 7th in population but ~47th in transit spending per capita. Stop spouting off things about how public transportation is a waste of money while remaining completely ignorant to how much it costs to maintain a public roadway system. The whole “gas tax” argument is a silly one and it shouldn’t take 25 years to realize that its a completely outdated funding structure.
Maybe if Orlando Hudson was as focused on his job as he is hanging around the women at the RTA customer service desk in Tower City things wouldnt have become this bad………shame, shame
I have a friend who has been with RTA PD for a long time. He has worked his way up the ranks of the RTAPD just like his father did. He has told me about this LT Hudson clown. He tells me he has to answer to this guy daily who doesn’t know his head from his butt. My friend works harder than probably 99% of any other RTA sgt. RTAPD needs more officers and leaders like my friend. He loves husband family loves god and loves to donate his time teaching kids.
Focus
RE: bhallohio
Valid points but I respectfully disagree about the boycotts, the Montgomery bus boycott in the 1950s helped to stop racial segregation on the mass transit lines. Remember there is ALWAYS a profit being looked at by any corporate entity.
First, fix the damn fare machines…make them more reliable and more easy to operate, with fewer steps. Right now, they are a pain in the ass to use. Especially if you don’t use them every day.
Secondly, bring back ticket booths and turnstiles, if you are not going to do the above.
Thirdly, fire all RTA cops and their supervisors. Chicago Transit Authority uses regular police offers….why can’t we? Our system is a fraction the size of theirs.
Fourth…hire more Cleveland cops to patrol buses, trains, and platforms. Put K-9 units on RTA property. Thugs hate and fear dogs.
Are you listening,, Zack Reed? Quality of life issue, right here. Even more so than the dirt bikers.
Chuckles the Clown
responding to Chuckles
The fare machines and the system to pay are totally ridiculous! I ride the red line 10 times a week back and forth from work and I have had difficulties occasionally and have had a few opportunities to interact with the cops. Some are great, a few are jerks, this is common in any police department. It seems to me, especially based on the article that the problems stem from leadership within the PD. I have seen the RTA’s K-9s used regularly and believe they do a fine job. I agree that turnstiles would be an excellent addition,but I just dont think the city of cleveland could do a better job patrolling the transit lines, they are stretched thin as it is and this would put an undue stress on the police department. I am pleased that these officers stepped up to do the right thing and that has put a little more faith in me that the police really are trying to do the right thing.
These comments have gotten out of control. There is no need for the employees to create accounts and post this ridiculousness. Where is the evidence to back it up? Sounds like Vikram and Brian were angry because they were just part-time scum.
I think everyone is missing the bigger picture here. Just remember the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead.
To the two officers that snitched. Thanks to you now I am bumping it up to 15 tickets a shift. If you have a problem I’m sure my brother who is an officer will tell my wife who is a Sgt who will tell me. Then if you don’t like what I have to say you can take it up with our cousin who is a commander. #familystrong #teamhudson #nepotism
To all the people that wanted to see me fall you can suck it. We had a big closed door meeting yesterday and once again nothing happened to me. So get out there and write tickets to make me look better to the failing fare system created by the CEO of RTA.
It is difficult to believe that the $4,000 gained each month by the RTA from passengers who are fined $25 for fare evasion offsets the salary of the transit police who arrest them. What are the transit police paid each month? And why does the RTA require its transit police to “write ten citations per eight hour shift.” This puts extraordinary pressure on its employees if there are not enough fare evaders. No wonder employees are quitting.
Why doesn’t the RTA have a fare machine on the Red Line and HealthLine, like it does on other routes? Why don’t they fix their fare machines on the Red Line that are so DIFFICULT to use?
Several years ago, when I had to ride the Red Line and HealthLine, to go downtown, I saw men arrested for not having fare cards. The Red Line would come to a halt, and the transit police would board (two or three at a time.) This occurred several times a month. I do not know how they checked all the riders, all day long, since the Red Line runs every ten minutes.
The transit police would tell passengers to hold up their passes and fair cards to view as they marched down the aisle looking at them. If someone did not have a fair card, or had one that was not validated, they were arrested. I never saw any kids without fare cards, only old homeless men.
Several times, I saw the transit police arrest old, drunk or homeless men, drag them out onto the platform, put them on their knees, and handcuff them. The transit police would leave the Red Line and stand around the passenger, who had his head down and was incoherent as he sat on the cement.
This was scary and upsetting to me. Why were they so rough with him?
Why do the transit police choose not to arrest people when riders come from the suburbs for Indians and Cavs games? Is it because the sight of someone being arrested would frighten riders from coming downtown?
This is why I do not ride the Red Line or HealthLine anymore.
As a regular rider I know how easy it is to “buck” the system BUT I would like to also point out that the 7 day fare card mobile app is not a 7 day card…it’s a 6 day 4 hour card…that 20 hrs a week adds up. I’ve been riding regularly since February…roughly 34 weeks. The way I see it, RTA owes me about a month worth of fares.
I work up at a store in tower city see everything I talk to the officers there The only reason why Orlando Hudson took the job upstairs at tower city is to watch over his employees another form of harassment he gives them. Shame on you.
Commander Jordan only took the job upstairs to rely information to Hudson. How is it a Commander and an Lt is working a side gig for 27$-30$ an hour not to mention they don’t were protective vest while working on rta clock.
They always look sloppy well Jordan looks better then Hudson far as no stains on his shirt. Beyond the fact you can stand up stairs and stare down as if people can’t see you. Anyone can see that bug ass head from around a wall. Shame on you
I personally believe that Orlando Hudson have it out for employees past and present and once he sinks his crusty yellow teeth into you there is no turning back you will constantly be belittled, harassed, displine for not being a crooked cop like he wants to to be. He doesn’t believe in policing he believes in writing tickets and ruining people’s lives. How do he sleep at night?
How can one man with his gangbusters family control a whole police department and no one can stand up to him? All the other Lts and commanders shame on all of you, you all let it get that far you all know whats going on yet to scared to speak up.
Hudson has taken away so much from Rtapd officers that they are no longer officers there puppets on a stick told when to eat shit, jump, what to write, how to write it
They have zero discretion morals empathy cause Hudson wants to be that way. Can’t wait to see what law suits come from this if everyone stood there ground and stuck together Hudson would be disciplined…. How about looking into all the officers he fired? for Bullshit reasons. How about putting all his dirty business on blast he walks around tower city talking about all his officers to other officers bad mouthing them as if I don’t tell the officers what he says. I’m curious what his personal file says how many times he was displine for being late or what discipline actions he was handed down.?
P. S I always charge Hudson full price and every other officer gets a discount.
Okay, moderators…enough’s enough.
Time to police this thread, like RTA cops, and start making with the deletions.
Oh, wait…silly me…SCENE doesn’t have mods anymore, do they? Never mind. Stay stupid and carry on.
Chuckles the Clown
It’s funny how people that don’t have the balls to speak their mind in person can be big dicks behind cover. Every bit of this bullshit is a lie that has been published yet again by media. They have a few-strike that a lot of cowards a platform to yell off. Every department has it’s shit problems but this goes past that. These pussies attack their OIC’s out of fear. But it doesn’t change anything. Do you not think that when they accepted their positions they didn’t believe that their subordinates would either love or hate them. RTA is a for profit transit system. Does any not think they would put measures in place to insure they are paid. Every job has requirements but these pussies think showing up is enough. I highly doubt that the ability to make a decision on writing a ticket or not was not decided by one person. Police departments just as other businesses work on policies and procedures, that are discussed and decided on. But one man made all this possible. To attack them and their family without allowing them to confront you face to face shows how much cowardice you suck down everyday. If you believe you can do better, take the same test, interview for the management position. If I have a problem with any part of my job or any person I work with, above or below me, I have the balls and respect for myself to take it to them. What you don’t understand is that this bullshit changes nothing. But none of you want change, you just wish you were calling the shots, but you can’t handle it. When I punch the clock at my job, that’s where I leave it. Obviously you take it home and tell everyone in your life about it instead of dealing with it yourself.
ImJustSaying
Typical denial, dont see you posting your real name, cut the shit, you know its is all true and you are just a pissed off asshole that got called on your bullshit. you are the person that is a coward, you obviously just follow bullshit orders blindly even if they are wrong or illegal, your posts are laughable and so are your morals……..you nothing but fake ass police that couldnt get a real job.
Imjustsaying.. Bhahahahaahaahaaahaahhhahaa go sit down somewhere go snitch you never take anything to anyone’s face. I think we all know who you are only so many ppl
“team Hudson” the team with zero moral the team who “wears that badge whos corrupt” don’t be mad yourll never stand up probably didn’t your whole life don’t start now. Dont think we don’t know who you are only few people that have there head up Hudson ass
Have a seat. Wipe that salt off your shoulder or dandruff it will be ok.
ENOUGH! DELETE THIS WHOLE FUCKING THREAD ALREADY!
WASTE OF SPACE FROM A BUNCH OF WASTES OF SPACE!
EVERYONE HERE NEEDS TO JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!
PULL THE PLUG, SCENE!
Chuckles the Clown
Everyone here needs to just SHUT THE FUCK UP!
Go meet in some alley and duke it out.
Or shoot it out.
Pull the plug, Scene! Shame on you for letting this bullshit stand! Enough already!
WTF is this…some East Side middle school playground at recess? Christ!
Chuckles the Clown
How long are you going to let this personal pissing contest remain on your board, SCENE?
Aren’t you embarrassed enough yet?
Chuckles the Clown
Rta how about before you do anything you address the pattern of systematic discrimination, racism, and corruption plagued within the GCRTA Transit Police Department led by substantiated discriminatory racists Chief of Police John P. Joyce and Commander Michael Gettings per the Tucker and Ellis Report, who disproportionately discriminated against minority police officers. Rta even though it was substantiated that your own Chief of Police John P. Joyce was substantiated of committing illegal racial discrimination you still retain his employment and pay his six figure salary to continue his racially discriminatory practices along with Cmdr Michael Gettings. Let the public know you refuse to release this information to the public and terminate these racist corrupt individuals before you ask for funding or taxpayers dollars. Let the public also know that Rtapd Chief John P. Joyce refers to African Americans as “street people,” in documented conversation.
Also, you continue to employ white supervisory police officers like Sgt. Eric Richards who while on duty for Rtapd and on taxpayers dollars exposed his testicles while another white supervisory police officer, Sgt John Tekautz photographed it as a joke. Also, Commander Michael Gettings who displayed a pattern of alleged abuse to his divorced first wife by allegedly taking her license plates off of her vehicle and putting them on his own vehicle and driving to work as a police officer for rta on illegal fictitious plates. Or what about the retaining of white supervisory police officer Sgt. Richard Kopp (who also works part time as a police officer for Kirtland Hills and part time at Tower City for Atlantis security), who was allegedly substantiated in an internal Rta investigation, as being a racist supervisory police officer by rta dispatchers under his command. Or the continued promotions of Acting Commander Kelly King another white supervisory police officer, who was allegedly under investigation when he was an alleged Newburgh Heights police officer for allegedly attempting to have sex with female motorists that he allegedly ticketed for traffic infractions in exchange for voiding the citations. Or the alleged on duty arrest of Acting Commander King (when he was a police officer at rtapd) by Cleveland Police Department for Impersonating a Police Officer (Cleveland Police Officer). Instead of terminating him you promoted him through the ranks and continue to retain his employment and pay his six figure Acting Commander salary.
Also, let the public know before you ask for help in funding that the Transit Police Department is predominantly white and you continue to pay these high ranging salaries ranging from $75k-100k to continue to due nothing but harass and discriminate against minority police officers, and the general public.
CEO India Birdsong, what are you going to do to eradicate the corrupt, racist rta police department plagued with bigotry, discrimination, and corruption by white racist supervisory police officers that are stealing taxpayers dollars while committing substantiated misconduct at the highest level inside a public transit authority requesting taxpayers aid? Here is a suggestion…how about you eradicate the racist command staff starting with Chief Joyce and Cmdr Michael Gettings per the Tucker and Ellis report and internal audit and say it is due to budget cuts to eliminate any potential lawsuits from these racist at will employees. How many more lawsuits and EEOC complaints need to be filed before you act? By the way the current pending lawsuit Orlando Hudson vs. GCRTA is public record and the public is aware of these issues.
Rta how about we talk about the continued misuse and abuse of grant money by the Commander of Specialized Units Michael Gettings. This guy allegedly takes Homeland Security grants and uses it to fund his alleged racially discriminatory practices by putting unqualified white officers in roles with no experience or qualifications whatsoever. Let the public know that Commander Michael Gettings has been a RTA officer for 25 years and has allegedly never effected an arrest his whole career! How is it that Commander Michael Gettings has been a police officer and one of the primary duties of being an officer is to make arrests, and he has never done it! Let the public know that allegedly you’re the only cop in the State of Ohio that’s never made an arrest. Commander Michael Gettings you’re pathetic and a joke! The closest thing Commander Michael Gettings has ever done to an arrest is his previous interaction with North Olmsted PD for a domestic violence incident where he allegedly bailed his ex-wife and her sister out of jail. Did you report that to Transit Police, Commander Michael Gettings? What a waste of taxpayers dollars!
Lets talk about the alleged racist all white K-9 unit, plagued with majority racist white supervisory officers like Sgt. Christopher Pfeifer who has a known history and reputation of being a bigot and a racist white police officer. Oh and by the way, Sgt. Christopher Pfeifer aka, “Vikram,”who was the driving force behind the Scene magazine article dated 9/13/2017, outing African American RTAPD Lieutenant Orlando Hudson and his cousin former African American RTA Commander Quenton Jordan.
Also let the public know RTA before you ask for funding that substantiated discriminatory racist RTA Commander Michael Gettings allegedly sent this alleged racist white supervisory police officer Sgt. Christopher Pfeifer to the Super Bowl on taxpayers dollars through his abuse of grant money. Also let the public know that this is the same officer that was discovered allegedly riding around in his patrol vehicle with his alleged own personal non departmental issued AR-15 rifle with his own person ammunition.
Lets take a look at more closely at the waste of taxpayers dollars and corruption inside the RTAPD. So, what exactly does it take to be apart of the alleged racist Commander Michael Gettings regime? Lets start with the number one rule, be white, number two, be racist, and number three, be white and tailgate with Commander Michael Gettings and all of his white cronies at the Cleveland Muny lot for Browns homes games, Wow! You ever wondered why the police department was predominantly white? Well, because another alleged substantiated white racist police officer Detective Joseph Kemmett does the background checks that’s why! He was allegedly substantiated as discriminating amongst minority candidates on background checks and he still does the backgrounds for the police department….Wow!
Lets take a look at the Homeland Security Unit with alleged substantiated racist white supervisor Sgt. Richard Kopp. He was allegedly substantiated as being a racist by his own African American female dispatchers and instead of terminating him, the RTAPD wasted taxpayers dollars and paid thousands of dollars to retain him and have him, “retrained,” Wow!
Lets take a look at Commander Michael Gettings range staff. Sgt. George Schreiner a white supervisory police officer, is an alleged member of the RTA Emergency Services Team (somewhat like a SWAT team but with low class officers) and an alleged certified range instructor. But this is the same officer that allegedly discharged an AR-15 into the floor at an occupied RTA headquarters, Wow! Instead of being disciplined, retrained, or suspended, Commander Michael Gettings and discriminatory police Chief John P. Joyce, did what they do best to white police officers…..absolutely nothing! Oh that’s right you allegedly promoted him to Sergeant afterwards.
Moving forward, what about the alleged racist white supervisory police officer, Sgt. Eric Richards? Oh and by the way, Sgt. Eric Richards aka, “Brian,” from the Scene magazine article dated 9/13/2017 with Sgt. Christopher Pfeifer aka “Vikram.” This is the same white supervisory police officer that not only allegedly exposed his testicles on duty and on taxpayers dollars, allegedly placed his nude testicles inside the unattended coffee mug of alleged African American supervisory police officer, Lieutenant Orlando Hudson.
So, what does it take for African American police officers to get any specialized units at the RTAPD? I’m glad you asked. Let’s take a look at African American police officer, Robert (Cumsucking) Cummings (who has the reputation for being the alleged police department’s, “Uncle Tom,” (and allegedly hates his own African American citizens and fellow officers). This officer allegedly buys lunch for white supervisory police officer Acting Commander Kelly King while on taxpayers dollars and on duty in exchange for preferential treatment. He was allegedly named Acting Sgt. twice and while in this role he allegedly personally went after and harassed African American police officers under his supervision and even went so far as to try and warrant alleged frivolous discipline in exchange for preferential treatment from his alleged racist white supervisory police officers. Let taxpayers know he is allegedly making 75k a year to serve as an Uber Eats driver to white supervisory Acting Commander Kelly King. This type of behavior is allegedly celebrated and applauded by white supervisory police officers Acting Commander Kelly King and Commander Michael Gettings.
RTA before you try and ask for any aid or taxpayers dollars how about you clean up your allegedly racist Transit Police Department along with its alleged disgusting law enforcement reputation. Oh, and by the way, someone tell Acting Commander Kelly King he might want to wear long sleeves all year round to keep his alleged racist Aryan Brotherhood tattoos covered up he has on both arms. The Celtic Cross is a symbol used by Neo-Nazis worldwide and denotes, “the supremacy of the white race.” It is one of the most widely used racist symbols.
CEO India Birdsong, why won’t you act? The men and women of the RTAPD who have integrity are crying out for you to clean house inside the alleged racist, corrupt, and discriminatory Transit Police Department and rid the department of these alleged racist white corrupt supervisory police officers, starting with police Chief John P. Joyce and Commander Michael Gettings.