The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has had prevalent growing crime since the removal of the turnstiles from every station except Tower City Center, and giving their police force unnecessary, misinterpreted rules. What other ticketed business can you just walk into without paying or showing them your ticket??? But some individuals have found they can just ride back and forth all day, get off on one side and take the train going in the opposite direction, never having to pay. Unless you work downtown and need to get in or out of the station. Let's show GCRTA that this isn't ok, just because the system is better than 'some other cities'

We the undersigned request that GCRTA reinstall turnstiles at every rapid transit station as it once was and also stationing a tollkeeper at those turnstiles to help prevent crimes such as menacing and assault by unpaid/trespassing individuals that continue to happen on a weekly if not daily basis. GCRTA producing the face of Ambassadors is not enough! This news article reinforces that, the Ambassadors were supposed to be checking for tickets, but all they do is smile and give directions. Ambassadors

 Re-instating the gatekeepers will also provide more jobs to people, which is one purpose of this funding which they will receive. Even if the undersigned have not had a crime committed against them, they are wary of dirty trains and stations (urination and bowel movements) as well as general trash, also not being able to find seats after paying their fare because the fare jumpers are sleeping across the seats. 

Reinstalling the turnstiles and lessening the above-mentioned issues will cause daily commuters to want to ride the train again, or for the first time, and that will help create revenue since paid ridership is down.

We also request that GCRTA stop tying the hands of the RTA police who are told that they cannot ask anyone to prove they paid their fare even when a crime has been committed because of the 2017 ruling by former Cleveland Municipal Court judge Emanuella Groves stating that asking people for proof of fares was against the 4th amendment-unlawful search and seizure. Nowhere did the ruling state that it applied to crimes being investigated, the ruling was for people to not be checked for them for no reason especially since minorities felt they were being targeted. We request that the GCRTA get rid of this harmful rule at the very least and letting your police determine trespassing during a crime (no longer calling it 'fare evasion') even if they do nothing more to solve this problem.

Groves Ruling

 Thank you for your consideration and support in this endeavor.  I am not the only one that wants to feel safer going to work, as well as other activities. My spouse and I have been victim to these crimes ourselves. My spouse was assaulted last year and nearly mugged this year with no repercussions for either perpetrator, and I was made to feel unsafe when a man in one of these stations was making nasty comments about my body. Something needs to change. 

Assailants! 1 Wielding a knife!

Suspect with a knife that fled due to poor RTA Transit Police response time!