MBTA to riders: 'See anything, say something'

BOSTON -- On the heels of its “See anything, say something” campaign, the MBTA says it's launching a new effort to track crime on buses and trains.

Tight quarters, packed with people, but some riders are undercover T police watching for illegal touching and sexual harassment and throughout the T's stations, officials monitor surveillance cameras.

Rachel Sawyer says she was touched inappropriately twice, once on the Green Line and once on the Blue Line.

"I couldn’t believe someone was touching me," said Rachel Sawyer, a victim.

After she reported the incident, T police showed her mug shots.

Sawyer says in her case so far no one has been caught.

But when a call comes in, T police need the best description possible because many are repeat offenders.

“The more information we get about where and when and what the people look like helps us tremendously in identifying the people that do this,” said Paul MacMillan, Chief of MBTA Police.

Last April, the T targeted sexual predators in a public awareness campaign.

Since then, they have had 99 reports of indecent assaults and made 28 arrests.

In the 18 months before the program began, the T police had 75 reports of indecent assault with 20 arrests.

For those who say that is just eight more arrests, MacMillan says, “That's eight more that are taken off the system and gotten assistance or help they might need, even if it was one more, it would make the system safer.”

In the coming weeks, hundreds of new signs will be posted in T buses and subways. Officials say this "reinvigorated” program of five new posters was done by their in house marketing department with a minimal printing cost.

“The money is really minimum to what we get out of the campaign, and we want people to know we need their assistance in finding these offenders and arresting them,” Macmillan said.

The Boston rape crisis center is so impressed with stepped up efforts that they are giving the T their biggest award.

Police say the new program not only reminds riders to report these incidents, but also reminds predators they are under constant surveillance.

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