Photo by Flickr user applez
This happened on my way back home from the Mission division of Muni Diaries headquarters last week on the 49. I boarded the bus around 10:30 p.m. after hashing out our new design with Jeff and our web designer. I hopped onto the half-full bus with a very distracted mind. Two stops later a young guy boarded the bus, talking loudly as he made his way down the aisle. I was sitting facing the back of the bus so I couldn’t see what was happening behind me, but I could tell by the faces of the passengers on the back of the bus that something was not right. I turned around and saw that the young guy was walking toward the back of the bus, swinging his arms wildly and talking about fare evasion to no one in particular.
“Did you pay your fare? I bet you didn’t pay…” He seemed to be under the illusion that he’s a fare inspector or unofficial keeper of the Muni law.
As the young guy got closer to the middle of the bus, another man got up to change his seat and avoid the crazy young guy. This man looked somewhat more sane and trustworthy. I wondered briefly whether it would be okay for me to get up and sit next to him in case something went wrong. If something did go wrong…if the young guy busted out a weapon or just went nuts, would this man help me or was I really just on my own? Everyone was looking uncomfortable.
The young guy made his way past me and marched toward the back of the bus until he was in front of a young woman riding alone. I coudn’t tell if they knew each other but the young guy started yelling at her: “I saw you getting on the bus and you didn’t pay, you need to get off the bus. You need to go.” I had expected some protest from the young woman, but she just got up silently and the young guy escorted her off the bus as though he was making a citizen’s arrest. But his demeanor seemed menacing to me. The bus kept on going and no one said anything.
In all of my time of riding Muni, I have never felt this unsafe, even in the company of a half-full bus. I kept thinking that I should have done something or said something to the young woman to make sure she was okay or to see if she knew the young crazy guy. I’m not sure what bothered me more: feeling scared on the line that I ride most often, or not knowing what to do in that situation.
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To those out there who, for lack of a better term, are “fare-cop haters,” what’s worse: Fare inspectors, or impostor fare inspectors? Impostors get my vote.
BUT!
I’m doubting this clown was wearing anything even closely resembling a uniform. I wonder what was going through the young woman’s mind when she got off the bus with the dude.
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Turnstiles make fare evasion much less of a problem.
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Very creepy. Not sure what I’d do about the guy if I was a driver… I mean, if he paid his fare, it makes it harder to put him off the bus.
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jeff Reply:
May 18th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
True. I wonder if there are even rules (or, dare I say, laws) concerning the impersonation of a fare inspector. Anyone out there with knowledge of their classification (peace officers? what?), feel free to chime in. I know impersonation a peace officer is a pretty serious crime. No reason to think impersonating a fare inspector would be a walk in the park if caught. At least in my fantasy jurisprudence ;)
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muni_lover Reply:
May 18th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
All the fare inspectors working now have a PC 832 certification. The PC 832 requirement was listed as a requirement for the job of 9132 Transit Fare Inspector until last year I think. (Personally I think elimitating it as a requirement was one of their dumbest moves ever at Muni)
The PC 832 is achieved at either police academies or local colleges, including until recently SF CIty College, through the study, training, and certification of about a dozen of the almost 45 California POST police academy manuals. Achieving a PC 832 certification bestows peace officer status in the state of California and permits said person to issue citations legally to citizens for violations of the law. It is distinguished from civilian policing by security officers with “guard cards” who are hired by private industry in that they are hired by municipalities such as a city or county and thus are termed police, sheriff, or even transit police types. A “sworn” peace officer is anyone with a PC 832 certification or higher law enforcement POST certification who is then hired by an agency, sworn in, and authorized to carry a service weapon. A PCO doesnt need a PC 832 for legal liability to issue citations as they do not contact the public and issue them citations but rather cite vehicles.
Transit Fare Inspectors here in SF are therefore peace officers for sure. The question is whether they are sworn or not. Even if sworn, the next question is whether they are authorized by their agency (Muni in this case) to carry service weapons. Just because I’ve never seen them with one doesn’t negate whether they are “sworn” or not or then authorized or not and under certain conditions.
My best guess from Muni’s own materials is that they are simply peace officers with no other authorization. No swearing in. No weapons of any kind. All they can do is arrest, cite, and release people who violated whatever laws or codes they are authorized to enforce. Interestingly enough, citing and releasing a fare evader is legally an arrest but I’ve noticed how shy Muni is from permitting that understanding. Why? Even given all the recent caterwauling by the pro immigrant community against the saturations, I wish we had a transit police force dedicated to just muni working directly for Muni instead of the SFPD’s political needs.
And what’s up with the push away from saturations? crazy. They worked! Plus, almost all of the fare inspectors are people of color and many FROM other countries?? Of the few caucasian, a couple of them are clearly gay or lesbian. How culturally diverse can you get? I didnt get why the papers were alleging that they needed cultural sensitivity training. I wonder what the foreign born inspectors said in response to THAT?
AAAAnyway, the dude in question up above was probably this one guy Ive seen alot; tall, caucasian, light scruffy (almost) beard/mustache, loud dude who is slightly disabled in the head. I think he just wants to be a hero but is essentially harmless. At first you cant tell because he’s rather forceful in demanor and slightly disheveled but he’s alright. Just weeeeird.
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jeff Reply:
May 18th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
thanks, muni_lover. helpful is putting it mildly. i wonder if the guy Eugenia describes is the same you mention …
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eugenia Reply:
May 18th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Yes! That’s him! It was very confusing because at first he just looked like some kid, you know? I thought to myself, oh he’s ok. Then he started walking around with slightly menacing authority and then you hope he’s not hiding a knife under the baggy hoodie. I was surprised when the young woman left the bus with him. I think the combination of it being late at night, me riding the bus on my own (which I usually do), and young guy himself all contributed to this surreal creepy situation.
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muni_lover Reply:
May 18th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Sure thing Jeff. Like you said, just trying to be helpful….just dont get me started on Daishin.
Eugenia, I knew it. He’s basically a 12 year old kid who wants to be a hero/cop locked inside one tall guy’s slightly unwashed body. His only fault is he has no boundaries and the world appears to be his living room. He’s quite comfortable letting all his inside voices out.
I doubt he would have done anything more than castigate the woman if she hadn’t responded by leaving. Like I said, he’s basically harmless and spends all his time on the transit. I usually see him standing next to the driver talking to them…..past the yellow line even on an empty bus. They never say a word about it so I guess it’s ok w them. I’ve never seen him “patrolling”.
He used to creep me out because his voice is always that one level 10 volume. I talk to him these days when I see him now. I think I’ll ask him to leave the patrolling to the Fare Inspectors so that he doesnt break the law by impersonating a peace officer. I’ll bet you a million that that will be enough to stop him from doing it again. He’s one of those good nutters.
captcha : mongol one
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Did he stay with her after she got off? Did she look scared? I’d have called 911.
This reminds me very much of a time that a coworker of mine was confronted at work by her abusive boyfriend. While he tried to get her to come with him, I called the cops; and as soon as they pulled up, he took off running. She got a restraining order after that.
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There’s another “fare inspector” who rides the 30 Stockton. He’s an Asian guy who wears glasses, about 5’8″ or so, and wears a lime green coat or something to try and look “official.” He gets on and yells for people to “Not be afraid, there’s lots of room in the back.” Totally annoying!! I’m surprised no one has punched him in the jaw.
Guess it’s only a matter of time before one of the little old ladies snaps and takes him out.
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eugenia Reply:
May 20th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
There’s another ‘fare inspector’ out there?! That’s…nothing short of incredible.
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Oh, I always see the Asian guy in the neon yellow jacket that yells at people to show him their fares and do random “security checks”. he got that neon yellow coat from the Chinatown New Year’s festival security. They were for high school students that were doing volunteer work by sweeping up the left over trash. his deal is that he doesn’t want to pay his own fares so he pretends to be a MUNI inspector so that real inspectors get confused and ignore him so he wouldn’t get ticketed. How odd right?
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