CHARLOTTE — The Federal Transit Administration said it found 18 ways the safety protocols put in place by CATS are currently falling short.
The FTA launched an investigation into CATS last September after police said DeCarlos Brown stabbed Iryna Zarutska to death on the light rail.
Federal transit officials say the rate of crimes on passengers in the CATS system is three times the national average. And the rate of assaults against transit workers is five times the national average.
The safety audit found 18 areas of improvement for CATS, including CATS not meeting the requirements for its safety performance targets, CATS not implementing the safety risk assessment processes established in its safety plan when assessing the risk of assaults on transit workers, and CATS not meeting the requirement for the de-escalation training
“The FTA is determined to do its part to address the systemic failures within Charlotte’s transit system that led to Iryna Zarutska’s tragic death,” FTA Administrator Marc Molinaro said.
In a statement, CATS said they value their partnership with the FTA and are implementing the suggested changes.
You can view the full report here.
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