Taxi’s on Patrol: Cab Drivers Fight Crime With GPS Trackers
25 Feb 2013
Taxi’s on patrol, fighting crime with GPS trackers installed in cabs.
The taxi company Yellow Cab has teamed up with several cities in the US to help fight crime with GPS trackers and the “Taxis on Patrol” program.
The Taxis on Patrol (T.O.P.) program will introduce taxi driver enrollees to a comprehensive training program that educates them on identifying and reporting crimes, teaches them which crimes to report, enlightens them on earn law enforcement terminology, and instructs them to give accurate descriptions of the criminals, crimes, and locations they witness.
GPS trackers are installed in the taxi cabs of drivers who enroll in the program. This allows 911 operators inform police of the crime so that they can arrive on the scene quickly.
US Cities Jumping on the Taxi’s on Patrol Bandwagon
The president of Yellow Cab, Jeff Cates, has mentioned that the program has helped solve crimes in Columbus, Denver, and Birmingham. So far, about 20 drivers have been fully trained in the program with several more currently in training.
Columbus, Ohio
One of the cities with the Taxis on Patrol program is Columbus, Ohio, where each driver, in addition to looking for fares each shift, is also looking for crime.
Denise Funderburk is one such driver. Employed with Yellow Cab, Funderburk has been trained in the Taxis on Patrol program and the “block watch on wheels” program. Each of these programs allows taxi drivers to identify and report crimes they witness during their shifts.
T.O.P program is currently optional and voluntary, but drivers like Funderburk feel strongly about it and are more than willing to enroll.
“It helps the community feel safer. When you see a police officer it makes you feel safe. And now when you see a Yellow Cab you feel safe,” she said.
Birmingham, Alabama
In Birmingham, Alabama, Anthony Joiner and his fellow drivers are also enrolling in the T.O.P program. They have agreed to take on responsibility for reporting crime and helping to decrease crimes committed in their city. GPS tracking and in-taxi cameras are used in conjunction with the training program in Birmingham.
“We have a GPS system here which keeps us in contact with the dispatcher and we’re able to be tracked at any point in time wherever we can be,” says Joiner. He adds that the program is a success. Joiner says, “A Yellow Cab driver as of a week ago reported a robbery, so we are being effective and we are being utilized.”
Denver, Colorado
In Denver, the Taxis on Patrol program has already recorded hundreds of incidents throughout the city which include robberies, sexual assaults, hits-and-runs, and even homicides. Due to the success of the T.O.P program, 30 agencies in the Denver metro area have gotten involved.
For Denver criminals, they might want to think twice before committing a crime as the taxi drivers in the city have become somewhat of a neighborhood watch. The Metro Taxi dispatch center is similar to a police station nowadays,with calls being recorded on a regular basis after a driver commits or suspects a crime. Larry Stevenson, the can company’s communications manager in Denver, thinks it is due to the locations taxi drivers frequent.
Another Set of Eyes
“They’re in places at times in which police officers aren’t,” said Stevenson. We have assaults, we have domestic violences being reported, we are hit-and-runs, we have drunk drivers.”
Tony Lopez, the Denver Police Commander told reporters the T.O.P. program is keeping crime down and street safe. “I think it’ll make communities safer as a result of this ‘Neighborhood Watch on Wheels,’ if you will.”
“Law enforcement officers need all the help that we can get,” said F.O.P. Lodge #9 President Jim Gilbert. “Especially with all the local government cuts. A lot of agencies right now are struggling to maintain levels of manpower.”
Throughout the world, major cities are interested in similar “taxi’s on patrol” crime-fighting programs, including international locales such as Australia and South Africa.
But besides helping to combat crime, GPS trackers can help monitor taxi driver’s habits, utilize more efficient routes, and reduce your fleet costs.
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