MTA: Reward for riders who report assaults
On January, 14, 2013, former MTA chief Joe Lhota confirmed the city's worst-kept political secret when he said he will file papers at the end of the week launching his mayoral run. (May 8, 2012) Credit: Newsday/Audrey C. Tiernan
The MTA will start paying riders to report those who beat up its employees.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said a new program would reward anonymous tipsters with up to $2,000 for helping police catch people who injure MTA workers. The MTA is paying for the program, called Transit Watch.
Assaults on MTA workers increased from 72 in 2010 to 94 in 2011, according to MTA statistics. At least 48 employees have been assaulted this year, up from 40 in the same period last year.
The Transport Workers Union and MTA met earlier this month to come up with ways to combat the problem. MTA chairman Joseph Lhota said the witness-rewards program is a response to those discussions, calling it a "warning shot" to would-be offenders.
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