Tampa Transit System Steps Up Security Following Bus Driver Fatality

Tampa Transit System Steps Up Security Following Bus Driver Fatality

A transit system near Tampa, Fla. is boosting security measures after a bus driver was stabbed to death by a passenger.

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • May 30, 2019

Staff and passengers of the Hillsborough Area Rapid Transit System (HART) in Tampa, Fla. will begin to see enhanced security measures starting June 1, the result of a plan to strengthen security and keep bus drivers safe.

The $1.3 million security changes have been slated for implementation for some time, but a recent incident on a HART bus has expedited the process. 

On May 20, HART bus driver Thomas Dunn was fatally stabbed, allegedly by a passenger, while on route. The stabbing came just five months after Dunn had spoke at a HART meeting, raising concerns about safety after he'd been assaulted by a passenger. 

At the time, HART told local reporters," As concerns are brought to HART, we develop corrective action plans and they're given to the appropriate division and then we follow all our safety protocol to make sure we are addressing them throughout policies and procedures."

Now, HART is making concrete changes to the safety and security of its staff and passengers. According to Colin Mulloy, the director of safety and security for HART, every bus and streetcar in the fleet will have brand new HD security cameras that will allow HART officials and law enforcement agents to tap into the video system and monitor any given situation in real-time. 

Mulloy also said there will be a video screen inside the busses to remind passengers that they are being recorded. Florida will be the first state to implement these kinds of security changes on buses.

In addition to new technology on the busses, armed guards will be stationed along certain drop-off and pick-up points to boost security.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Integration Imagination: The Future of Connected Operations

    Security teams that collaborate cross-functionally and apply imagination and creativity to envision and design their ideal integrated ecosystem will have the biggest upside to corporate security and operational benefits. Read Now

  • Smarter Access Starts with Flexibility

    Today’s workplaces are undergoing a rapid evolution, driven by hybrid work models, emerging smart technologies, and flexible work schedules. To keep pace with growing workplace demands, buildings are becoming more dynamic – capable of adapting to how people move, work, and interact in real-time. Read Now

  • Trends Keeping an Eye on Business Decisions

    Today, AI continues to transform the way data is used to make important business decisions. AI and the cloud together are redefining how video surveillance systems are being used to simulate human intelligence by combining data analysis, prediction, and process automation with minimal human intervention. Many organizations are upgrading their surveillance systems to reap the benefits of technologies like AI and cloud applications. Read Now

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

  • Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk Dies After Utah Valley University Shooting

    Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after being shot during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.