Local 100 President Tony Utano’s aggressive push-back against assaults has scored a major win for safety on the job.
Chief Edward Delatorre, head of the NYPD’s Transit Bureau, outlined a new policing strategy at a meeting on Sept. 18, 2018 with Utano, Secretary-Treasurer Earl Phillips, and other union leaders that he pledged would provide increased protection for Train Crews and other transit workers in the subway system. Delatorre said that the new approach will include tighter coordination of police resources and greater interaction between Police Officers and Train Crews.
Delatorre told Utano that he wants his Officers to get to know the Train Crews through interaction with them at crew quarters and terminals. He also said that the Bureau intends to facilitate better communication between train crews and Police to help prevent potential crimes or to respond more quickly to a crime in progress. He praised Local 100 for its new anti-assault tactic of posting “Most Wanted” fliers in the subways. He said the union’s posters serve as a deterrent to those who might think of taking out their frustrations on a transit worker.
In addition to the “Most Wanted” posters, Local 100 has partnered with NYCT in pressing the union’s case against assaults through the media. The NYPD’s Transit Bureaus comprise 12 transit districts, located within or adjacent to the subway system, and overseen by three borough commands: Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Bronx/Queens. The Bureau, he explained, also has a number of specialized units including three borough Task Forces, an Anti-Terrorism Unit, Citywide Vandals Task Force, Canine Unit, Special Projects Unit, and MetroCard Fraud Task Force.
The Police Captains in charge of the 12 Transit Bureau Districts also attended the meeting, which was held at 130 Livingston St. in Brooklyn. The NYPD’s Transit Bureau only covers the subway system. Utano said he will be facilitating additional meetings between the union and borough commands to address safety in the bus system.
