Metro leaders are considering banning people who commit sex offenses or assault Metro employees. News4’s Joseph Olmo reports.
Metro is considering banning people who have committed sex offenses within the transit system or assaulted its employees.
“We need a tool beyond the tools we have today. I personally have run into people on the system, I get e-mails from women who have been victimized. It’s just a horrible experience, and it's preventable if we can keep people off the system," WMATA General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke said during a recent board meeting.
Currently, Metro itself does not ban riders convicted of violent crimes.
Courts are able to ban riders, but court orders often only last a few weeks and only prohibit access to the specific bus line or train station where the crime is committed, according to WMATA.
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Metro leaders said implementing its own ban would allow it to issue orders that last longer and cover larger areas of the transit system.
Riders who spoke with News4 on Thursday had mixed reactions about the potential ban.
"I think maybe it's a little bit more complicated than that, but I would say probably a good idea to have a conversation," one woman said.
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"It would make me feel safer as a person of color, also, like, a woman, I think it's really important just to feel safe in, like, your community," another rider said.
"I think that'd be reasonable," one man said. "I definitely don't think there's any place for [violence] in a common place people ride."
"I think there's other preventative measures, whether it's more officers on trains or other safety measures that can be put in place to protect the riders," one rider said.
The idea is still in the planning phase and there’s no exact date on when people could potentially be banned.
