Federal Transit Administration Launches Nationwide
Transit Safety and Security Awareness Program
During her keynote speech at the Opening
Session of the American Public Transportation
Association's (APTA) Annual Meeting in Salt
Lake City, FTA Administrator Jennifer Dorn
announced a new nationwide safety and
security awareness program designed to
encourage the active participation of transit
passengers and employees in maintaining a
safe transit environment.
"Safety and security are top priorities of
the Bush Administration and Secretary
Mineta," said Administrator Dorn. "Our
nation's transit agencies are better prepared
and more secure today than they have ever
been, and this program is an important next
step in the industry's efforts to ensure that
public transportation passengers and
employees are aware of their surroundings,
alert to suspicious activities, and know what
to do when and if they observe something
unusual."
The Transit Watch campaign was
developed in collaboration with industry
partners, including the American Public
Transportation Association (APTA), the
Community Transportation Association of
America (CTAA), the Amalgamated Transit Union
(ATU), and the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA).
Similar to the highly successful nationwide
Neighborhood Watch crime prevention
program implemented by the National Sheriff's
Association in the early 1970s, Transit
Watch is intended to raise the awareness
of transit employees, riders, and the general
public. The campaign was also designed to
help foster the role of transit as a safe
haven in communities across the country.
While the campaign will add value in
individual systems, the presence of a
universal symbol throughout the country as a
result of implementation by multiple systems
of all sizes will further increase the
campaign's value. Transit agencies are
encouraged to embrace the Transit
Watch initiative by adapting the program
to meet the needs of their community, and to
use this program to initiate or strengthen
their agency's safety and security public
awareness efforts.
Transit Watch was designed for easy
and low-cost implementation. The Transit
Watch Toolkit containing a
downloadable
CD with the campaign logo and tag line, a
brochure, signage and poster slicks, a
template press release and fact sheet and a
one-page guide entitled "5 Easy Steps to
Launching Transit Watch" is available at
no-charge. It is critically important that
all transit agency employees know what to do,
if and when passengers bring safety and
security concerns to their attention.
Agencies will have the capability to
customize the materials with their own
information, and are encouraged to select the
campaign and accompanying visuals that will
most effectively address their community to
maximize interest and involvement.
For more information, contact Tina Burke in the FTA's Office
of Communications and Congressional Affairs at 202/493-0937,
tina.burke@fta.dot.gov or Gail Taylor in the FTA's
Office of Safety and Security at 202/366-1218,
gail.taylor@fta.dot.gov.