LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Another violent incident on a Regional Transportation Commission bus has drivers calling once again for a transit police force.
Last Friday, Henderson Police said a fight broke out on an RTC bus ending with a fatal stabbing.
According to Amalgamated Local 1637, the union representing RTC workers, there have been 17 violent incidents on the buses so far since March 2023.
- In May, Metro Police reported a shooting on a bus near Eastern and Bonanza.
- In April, Metro arrested a man for allegedly stabbing a bus driver at Bonneville Transit Center
- In March, police say a man barricaded himself inside a bus and bit a Metro officer’s ear in the Southwest valley
- In February, police say a passenger was killed after being stabbed 33 times. The incident was caught on surveillance footage.
“It’s been a nightmare for us,” said Dennis Hennessy, who’s been a driver with RTC for 13 years. “I’ve been assaulted six times in 13 years.”
At last month’s RTC board meeting, RTC leaders and board members discussed what it would take to establish the agency’s own police force.
Back in March, RTC told Channel 13 the agency has invested millions to improve safety including enhanced surveillance cameras and more security officers. But what would it take for the agency to get its own police force?
MJ Maynard, CEO of RTC of Southern Nevada, said during the meeting the agency is open to discussing the possibility of their own hybrid security/law enforcement force.
“We are absolutely still on board to have that discussion of having our own transit police force,” said Maynard. “It would be a small division of security officers here that would also oversee the contracted staff. So our transit security officers would go in between Metro and contracted staff.”
Maynard also provided this statement to KTNV regarding Friday night's stabbing:
We are disheartened by Friday night’s incident and send our condolences to the affected families, transit driver, passengers, and others involved. We and our transit contractor are fully cooperating with law enforcement.
As the transportation provider for the region, we transport thousands of people daily and made nearly 50 million trips last year. Above all else, we prioritize public safety. We have invested significantly in safety tools and protocols and continue to seek additional enhancements.
We recently increased the number of contracted security officers from 214 to 247; we have cameras with a live look-in feature for law enforcement on all buses and at our transit facilities; and we are testing a panic button system for drivers to help expedite responses to incidents. We also encourage our riders to report suspicious or questionable activity through the Transit Watch app. Together, with the community and law enforcement, whose partnership is key, we are working to make transit safer.
RTC leaders said Nevada legislature would need to sign off to get transit police offers on buses.
“We would have to go and get authority to get our transit police department,” said deputy CEO Angela Castro. “So we would have to go to the Assembly, go the Senate and get the Governor’s signature.”
In the last legislative session, there was no bill surrounding transit police. However, State Assemblywoman Natha Andrea, who represents District 30 in Washoe County, sponsored Assembly Bill 214.
The bill increases safety for bus drivers in part by strengthening onboard surveillance recordings and allowing bus drivers to be part of the conversation on an advisory committee.
“We had some bus drivers here who felt they were not being listened to,” said Anderson. “They were not feeling safe to drive the buses. There are many, many discussions about how our bus drivers are just not always safe.”
AB 214 passed into law earlier this year.
Channel 13 asked Assemblywoman Anderson if a bill on transit police would be something she is interested in drafting.
“I would be interested in talking with people about it and making sure we can get it done,” said Anderson. “We’ve got to find the right sponsor for the bill. It feels like also that we might want to start talking about it earlier as opposed to two years from now when the legislation is actually in."
