RTD outfitted every bus with live cameras recently. Is it helping with safety?

DENVER — Denver7 has closely been covering efforts to address safety concerns on RTD for years. As we reported two months ago , every RTD bus was outfitted with live camera capabilities. Officials said the goal was to keep riders and drivers safe and help cut down on response times when an incident happens.

"We never had the ability to go ahead and see live video feeds directly from the bus. All it was was communication between the bus operator over a two-way radio to the bus dispatch or police dispatch," said Israel Laufer, manager of Integrated Security Technology for RTD, when Denver7 spoke to him in July .

Two months later, Denver7 asked RTD if the cameras are making the buses more safe. As it turns out, the agency hasn't been keeping track.

"There is no specific category when this functionality is utilized or way to separate any live look-in stats from the agency's overall numbers. Anecdotally, the live look-in capability has allowed the agency's dispatch staff to alert officers of situations such as an altercation on a bus, that required a more immediate response."

When asked how the agency would determine if the program was helping increase safety or not, an RTD spokesperson said the cameras are used to address overall safety similar to cameras on platforms that allow dispatchers see incidents in real time.

A $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched the program. It covered the software, professional services and five years of maintenance. It's not clear what will fund any maintenance following that.

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Denver7 also checked back in with ATU Local 1001 , the RTD bus drivers union who said they haven't heard any feedback from drivers about the cameras significantly impacting their day-to-day safety.

Ronald Short with ATU Local 1001, pointed to the shooting on-board an RTD bus last week as proof it will take more than cameras to keep buses safe.

"You can have all the cameras in the world, but if you don't have anybody out there, what's the point? You're still going to have a delayed reaction time. You're still going to have people trying to get in these locations," said Short.

Two months after RTD outfitted every bus with live cameras, Denver7 wants to know if it's helping safety

He said he and other union members would like RTD to make more of an effort to increase the number of officers at bus stops and stations.

"Just a reassurance to our operators and our passengers at large that we're out here. We're looking, we're seeing, but as of date, we've still been getting reports from our members and complaints from our members that they don't see officers," said Short. "I'm not expecting them to be on every vehicle everywhere, but just to have a presence out there."

Several passengers told Denver7 they would also like to see more safety improvements including better ways to break up fights on the bus and remove drug users.

"They respond pretty quick to the bus drivers now. More or less, the cops are there when they call them," said Louie Gonzales, a frequent RTD bus rider.

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