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Former RTD bus driver concerned about safety following recent violence

A stabbing at a light rail station Tuesday marks two violent incidents in less than two weeks.

DENVER — Police are looking for a suspect after one person was hurt in a stabbing early Tuesday morning at a Regional Transportation District light rail station. This comes just 10 days after a deadly shooting on an RTD bus.

The recent violence has former RTD bus driver Ron Short concerned about safety.

“It's just been the growing trend here lately,” Short said. “When I first started, it was very unusual to deal with an assault or something like that, but now it's becoming a norm of the job. It's a whole gambit of things. We have passengers on operators, passengers on passengers. You name it, it's going on out there."

RELATED: 1 hurt in stabbing at RTD station

Short was an RTD bus driver for 24 years. Now, he's an officer at the union that represents RTD bus and train operators, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001.

Tuesday’s stabbing at Perry Station marks two violent incidents in less than two weeks.

“With the trend that's going on in our system with the violent acts here lately, not necessarily surprised,” Short said.

On Jan. 27, Denver Police said, a teenager shot and killed a man on an RTD bus.

RELATED: 13-year-old arrested in connection to RTD bus shooting that killed man

“What if that bullet hit our operator, or what if that bullet hit more people on the bus?” Short asked. “Bullets don't have names.”

Short said RTD is now training operators on how to de-escalate potentially violent situations. 

“But I mean that doesn't address everything,” he said. “Some people just get on the bus unhinged. We're just sitting around waiting for the next event to happen. How we solve that? I don't know. I wish I did."

Short doesn’t have all the answers, but he has an idea, and it starts with respect.

“Once you build up the importance of our system again and the importance of our operators and what they do, I think the trend will naturally turn around,” Short said. “But there has to be some sort of effort to start toward that change.”

RTD said it's working to keep passengers and operators safe by adding more sworn police officers to the force. In August 2022, they had 19 officers. Now, RTD has 52 officers with another 23 recruits currently in the police academy. 

In a statement, RTD said the goal for 2024 is to hire around 30 more officers along with another mental health clinician and four additional employees dedicated to homeless outreach.

“This increase in officers and outreach staff allows RTD to quickly respond to problematic areas and circumstances," RTD said in a statement. "RTD Transit Police are also a regular presence on and around the system, including patrols at rail platforms and bus stops, and riding buses and trains. RTD has a service area of 2,342 square miles and also partners with law enforcement agencies in more than 40 cities and municipalities to identify and address crime-related problems.”

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