Video a new tool aiding CAT, its riders

A mother claimed her young son fell and injured himself while boarding a bus in October.

A man in a wheelchair claimed a bus driver failed to secure the chair properly in November, and as a result, the chair was damaged.

There was a time when the Regional Transportation Commission, which oversees the Citizens Area Transit system, had difficulty defending the bus network against such allegations.

But now, CAT's 235 buses are equipped with video cameras -- a $1.6 million surveillance system bought to deter assaults, vandalism and theft.

The cameras aid in determining whether people who file claims or make accusations against the system are telling the truth.

"It's reduced the number of nuisance complaints," Stan Wilkerson, the commission's marketing manager, said.

In the case of the child who fell, Wilkerson said that after reviewing the bus's tape, nothing was found to support the mother's allegation.

"There was no evidence of any passenger falling," he said.

And the wheelchair incident?

The tape showed the person breaking the chair himself.

"These allegations are not high dollar, but just the time it takes to do the research can cost a lot," Wilkerson said.

Before the cameras were installed late last year -- the last one at the end of December -- it was hard to document incidents that resulted in claims.

"The operator is facing forward so he can't see what happened, and you can't find all the passengers who might be witnesses," Wilkerson said.

But now there is tangible evidence, which Wilkerson said is reducing the number of claims against the bus system.

The system began installing cameras after the 1997 Nevada Legislature passed a law making it a felony to assault a bus driver. To prosecute such cases, evidence is needed.

The cameras are mounted to show the complete interior, including all entry and exit doors and the fare box.

Information is stored digitally in a tamper-proof compartment. The system turns on when the bus starts. Wilkerson said the camera can detect anyone trying to disable the system.

While cameras are a powerful deterrent against violence on buses, it's not a problem the bus system has had to worry about.

Last year there were 14 reports of assaults on CAT buses, a small amount considering there were 41 million riders in the 12-month period. Wilkerson said 15 assaults were reported 1997.

"The cameras are more of a preventative thing," Wilkerson said. "Nationally, through other agencies, we have learned that cameras on buses create a feeling of safety, both real and perceived."

Those prone to committing acts of violence, theft or vandalism are less likely to do so if they are in the camera's eye.

"We haven't had an assault or aggressive act since the cameras were installed," Wilkerson.

Of course, he added, such incidents were not that frequent to begin with.

Even rarer are incidences of graffiti being scrawled inside or outside the buses.

"I like to think citizens have taken pride in the bus system," he said.

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