PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — With thousands of Philly students expected to ride SEPTA to school starting next week, the transit agency is launching a special police unit to try to make its buses and trolleys safer.
The new unit within SEPTA’s police department is authorized to pull in as many resources as necessary to address safety problems, according to SEPTA Police Chief Chuck Lawson. He said more than 100 officers will be deployed during dismissal times, concentrating on areas where students from different schools cross paths.
“We’ve been busing or transporting students to school for a long time,” said Lawson, “so we know our corridors where we get a lot of students moving through.”
More officers will also be assigned to the virtual patrol unit to do live look-ins on buses.
After eight Northeast High students were shot at a bus stop in March, Lawson said law enforcement learned that students are usually the first to know when beef between young people arises. They’re encouraged to help maintain safety by reporting potential problems to school officers or SEPTA Transit Police through the SEPTA Transit Watch app …