I have met some who were pretty darn strange. We have a sheriff deputy in our county who writes a letter a week to the local paper, explaining how the constitution doesn't say what we think it says, and telling us how to interpret it. Part of problem is, "administration of justice" is a favorite degree for college football players, a group not necessarily known for their critical thinking ability. Another big source of police officers is the military, particularly the Marine Corps and Army, which have huge military police forces. I know someone who is a homicide detective for a large US city, and he says it's a good thing most criminals are stupid, because most cops are not very bright.

As scary as it is.

I really am beginning to believe it is a new criteria

without a lick of sense. The perfect people to give the power of life and death to.

This is FUBAR.

as well as the officer's employer.

not your fault, Free Thought Project makes this mistake with these glorified security guards.

Having a California Guard Card does not mean you are a cop.

Wouldn't the transit driver know? And why did they accept his money to buy the pass if now they don't think he deserves it. Like someone said on the comments. It's like wearing a T-Shirt and walking back into the store you bought it from and they claim you stole it without your receipt.

Well. I'm glad the police are vigilant. Who knows what that man might have done with his wheelchair? Sure, it looks like he was only using it to get a free bus ride, but how can we be sure he wasn't linked to ISIS? After all, he wasn't normal, like you and me. Although I'm not so sure about you...

STUPID MORON, WITLESS EVIL PIG !!

that said, since he is just a mere rent a cop, it might be easier if MTS decides this is getting too hot.

yes, this is a personal beef of mine.

showing up in wheelchairs to board first only to be miraculously healed.

Here's the vid at the link

No, I wouldn't call a cop if there were a burglar in my house. The cop would be much more likely to kill me than the burglar.

you'd be arrested,.

..and the cop looks like a former MP. He probably spends a good chunk of his pay having his uniforms starched and pressed.

the military police was, 'the monkeys'. But you wonder about the level of intelligence of our friend.

they are not under the employ of SDPD.

not a one, well except the Chief we were told, are certified as actual, honest to goodness cops. Nor have they attended a police academy.

This is a normal problem with the FTP, they keep mis-identifying these guys, who are full of themselves, and all that, with actual cops. Last time I pointed this out, it was not well received by the editors, nor would they correct that huge misrepresentation error. That said, I don't think these glorified security guards mind that one bit.

If you want to be a cop, you're automatically disqualified.

Fucking assholes.

security are NOT COPS...

But I almost expected the Forethought project "reporter" to do it again after misquoting other Media regarding operation Lemon Drop.

I have found so many factual errors, in this case it is the fact that this is NOT A COP, that if it comes from them, and they tell me the sky is blue, I need to check on three other sources. Yes, I have met their reporter...and boy he is not good at accepting any criticism.

A useless eater? Wheel him into the gas chamber.

... of the psychotic malice and insatiable craving for dominion over the lives of others that drives all too many of the people who become cops. I hope this asinine display of petty power costs the jerk his job, and the city a bundle of cash.

these are NOT cops, regardless of the misrepresentation of the Free Thought Project, They have been told, shown links et al. They will continue to misrepresent MTS security for actual police. But hey... it's all good in the hood I 'spose.

One thing you got right, somebody might pay, and it might even include the tax payer, but ultimately the Metropolitan Transit System will be the one who once again will have to pay for the idiocy of these guys.

Someday MTS might even finally get tired of the fuck ups and fire Transit System Security... and the FTP might do a good job of actually reporting really basic facts.

How does a metro cop come to check a passenger's pass? Do they check everyone, only people who appear disabled to them? What? How does this work?

glofiried and all. But the guys who are armed (about half) are security for the guys who issue the tickets. Here is their employer When you go to the link, it is clear these guys have a CALIFORNIA GUARD CARD, and are NOT POST certified.

Do they check them randomly? Is there some physical choke point like a turnstile everyone goes through. I was wondering how the guard came to detain the guy in the wheel chair.

when they do that.

There is no turnstile, and MTS does lose some money since some of this is on the honor system.

As a resident of san diego calling these guys cops, is a personal beef of mine. Having a media outlet make this mistake REGULARLY, even after their editors were alerted by multiple local media, irks me and makes me trust them even less. I was one of the local media that contacted them.

That said, MTS loses money to lawsuits regularly because these guys are that bad, the cops actually despise the rent a cops at MTS, and I had one tell me that he was an officer, at which I put him down in his place. I should have called 911 and reported him for impersonating an officer, but I did not think fast enough. I admit it.

They, at least, are county employees, though not cops (though they do have a sheriff's patrol as backup). Once I had to board a train without tagging my Clipper electronic fare card because there was a blackout around the office. And of course they got on down the line, and the shitball made me get off and tag the damn thing while I watched the train go bye-bye. There's 25 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

and that is not accidental.

I had one of these guys try the DHS shit about photography because of the camera gear, I go to cover stories on the system regularly. Once he realized he was not talking to a person without a clue, he sheepishly went away.

This happened soon after they went to the full-on electronic ticketing system (Compass passes) about two years ago.
While it's pretty easy to identify some people who are eligible for a reduced fare - students, seniors, and medicare recipients, who all get cards or have some other form of card identification that is easy to get, there is no "California ID card for disabled, or SSDI benefits card" that is an official government document. Your pretty much stuck with either providing a reciept copy of your disability tags from the DMV or applying for a MTS card to go along with your Compass Card.
And if you didn't know you needed one because you've been getting disabled fare for the past 20 or so years and were never asked for i.d. card, you wouldn't know you needed it. Heck, I'm disabled and rode the trolley when our car broke down just last year; got a week pass on a compass card at the reduced fare at the kiosk, and no one ever asked, they just looked at my cane and scanned the card.
There were never any notices that clearly announced the need for an issued i.d. for someone who is disabled; and the transit policed or drivers never asked before. I could easily see where someone who has used public transit for a while might not be aware they needed a card even if their disability was obvious.

From the San Diego MTS web site:

Senior citizens (60+), disabled individuals and Medicare recipients are eligible for a reduced fare on fixed–route buses and Trolleys.

People eligible for discounted fares and Compass Card passes must show proper identification to purchase discounted fares on buses, and at the MTS Transit Store, Albertsons, and other participating outlets. The only discounted fares sold at Ticket Vending Machines are one-way Trolley fares and monthly products reloaded onto existing Senior or Disabled Compass Cards. Trolley code enforcement officers and bus drivers will require proper identification of people using discounted fares. Acceptable identification are:


• Driver’s license (for seniors)
• Medicare card + government-issued photo ID
• Valid MTS Senior/Disabled ID card (San Diego Metropolitan Transit System)
• Valid NCTD Senior/Disabled ID card (that's North County Transit Department, which links to MTS bus routes, etc)
• State of California DMV Placard ID (the white placard receipt from the DMV) + government-issued photo ID
• State of California Senior ID card



Haele

Despite having plates, I carry the free placard in the vehicle as well. Some people pass the temporary placards around to their friends. At times this is fine, as they are transporting them.

Trying to park with a permanent placard that doesn't match up with the plates is a problem without ID to prove the driver has the right. There are lot of disabled persons where I live and it's disability and elderly friendly and very diverse, but it's getting increasingly expensive.

It's six of one or half a dozen of the other. I'm glad attention is being paid to this man's plight and hope it gets resolved soon.

WTF. If he wasn't stopped, the lousy terrorist would be back riding public transit, endangering all good people going to rabbit.