Crime Up on Metro

As a former victim of a quasi-mugging on Metro, I tend to be a bit more cautious on the train that most. A new report in the Washington Post suggests there may be a reason for all of us to give an extra glance over our shoulder, as crime is nearing record levels.

The "good" news is, many of these crimes involve unmanned parked cars at Metro garages (good in that no one gets hurt). The bad news is, crimes like muggings and assaults are also up across the board.

Metro's PR department is doing some damage control here. There are more riders than ever in the system, so it would make sense that there are more criminal reports. They also point out that officers are writing more tickets and making more arrests, and you're still 15 times less likely to be a victim below ground than above.

But hi, I live in Chevy Chase, not the 8th Ward (no offense to the 8th ward, but...). And above ground has a heck of a lot more cops. Honestly, when was the last time you saw a metro cop riding the train? I'm on metro every weekday and frequently late night on weekends, and its been months since I saw one. Maybe it's time to increase the patrols...