VIA is so stupid for yanking the benches before consulting with their customers. This shows how out of touch the folks are that run VIA. Hey, i got an idea, why don't u overpaid VIA managers ride the bus and get to know your customers and their needs!!!

I can kind of see what bluthunder is saying about the police cars... I have seen so many of these brand new, unmarked or "stealth" cars out there and they are usually high end sports cars... brand new Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers, and large gas guzzling SUV's and pickups... You can't tell me that these things aren't expensive and eating up the police budget. How much more protection does a Mustang offer than a traditional police cruiser? How much more does it cost? One thing that should be noted here is that bus stops are the jurisdiction of VIA's Transit Police, while SAPD has jurisdiction over the surrounding area.

I did say sell half the cars and double them up also! that would give them backup on site while they patrol.

bluthunder, those are good points, but being a police officer is a hard and dangerous job as it is, and cars offer some form of protection as well. To really patrol areas, you also need a station for backup support/resources, for example like they have downtown. Having cops just walking around can make them easy targets for driveby shootings possibly. Neighbors should also do their part and call the police non-emergency line if they see crime, and get license plate numbers too. If there are lots of reports, police will hang around more.

An easy solution... there is a problem with criminals in the area... increase police presence in the area! WHY is it that area's with high crime are the same area's that have had high crime for decades! the police have become nthing more then revenuers collecting money for the city and state. They should sell half the overpriced cars make them double up and patrol high crime area's and actually FIGHT crime instead of sitting in their cars onn the side of the road waiting to collect money or sitting in a construction zone reading a paper. BUY cops a good apir of shoes and make them actually "PATROL" an area that needs it!