Here’s a stunning idea — arming transit workers with Tasers so they can zap bad guys who menace them.
It’s the brainchild of state Sen. Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn), who wants bus drivers, subway conductors and other transit workers to be able to protect themselves and passengers from crazy riders, criminals and even would-be terrorists.
Transport Workers Union Local 100 is supporting Adams’ legislative effort because it is tired of its members being “treated like punching bags” by irate riders, said the local’s president, John Samuelsen.
“Equipping and training our members to responsibly use Tasers will end the assaults that are currently plaguing our members,” Samuelsen said. “Additionally, it will act as a strong deterrent against crime against our riders on the buses and trains.”
Subway workers and bus drivers were physically assaulted 94 times last year, up from 72 recorded incidents the prior year, Metropolitan Transportation Authority data show. Transit workers were harassed, including being spit upon, 1,092 times last year, after 936 such incidents were logged in 2010.
Taser devices deliver a current of electricity that is designed to temporarily immobilize a subject.
Adams, a retired NYPD captain, introduced a bill last year to allow Amtrak and commuter railroad workers and subway train crews to carry Tasers. It was buried in the state Senate’s Codes Committee.
But now, spurred by the rise in attacks on bus and subway workers, the Brooklyn Democrat is amending the bill to include bus drivers, believing it may fare better in a different Senate committee, such as Transportation.
The 37,000-member Local 100 will make Adams’ bill a centerpiece of a major conference on transit worker assaults that it will hold next month.
The MTA and the NYPD, however, are not at all charged up about the idea — they oppose it.
The NYPD doesn’t allow regular police officers to carry Tasers; the power is reserved for sergeants and those in the elite Emergency Service Unit, who receive extra training, said Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne.
“The MTA makes protecting our transit personnel a top priority in everything we do,” MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said.
“However, the proposed legislation is the wrong way to go about protecting MTA employees. Asking them to carry weapons would cross the line into law enforcement, a function that is best left to the NYPD.”
Several bus and subway riders offered mixed reviews.
“There’s got to be a better way to deal with problems,” said Sadiq Cassell, 24, a recent college grad from the Bronx.
Mike Settle, 52, of Brooklyn, said some bus drivers have too short a fuse to have a Taser in their pocket.
“This is not a good idea,” Settle argued. “Let’s say they Tase a little old lady when they are having a bad day.”
Patrnilla Ali, 36, of Queens, was on the fence.
“My first reaction is shock,” she said. “But I’ve noticed people are more aggressive towards bus drivers now. I see the need for them to protect themselves, but I worry about them being Taser-happy.”
Hand ’em out, said Sarah Brownlee, 60, of Brooklyn.
“They should have it,” Brownlee said. “This is New York. New York is dangerous. You gotta defend yourself.”
With Tanyanika Samuels and Simone Weichselbaum
pdonohue@nydailynews.com
