The assault on a 15-year-old girl at Metro Transit’s bus tunnel in Seattle as security guards stood nearby would not have occurred at the Renton Transit Center, says the owner of a Renton security company.
Don Dotson, owner of Renton-based Dotson Security Services, was hired by the City of Renton in July 2008 to set up foot and bike patrols for the transit center and elsewhere in downtown Renton to help add a sense of security to the downtown core.
The Police Department also has set as a goal for this year increasing its patrols of the transit center and is planning emphasis patrols to deal with specific problems, according to Renton Police Commander Paul Cline.
The private officers patrol 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. As the eyes and ears of the Police Department, they call 911 immediately if they see a crime occur.
His unarmed officers will not intervene to break up a fight between armed individuals, Dotson said, nor will they act aggressively toward someone.
However, they will protect an innocent bystander or property, he said.
In the case like the girl at the Seattle bus tunnel, his officers would have intervened to reach the girl and take her to safety, Dotson said.
“You never let that happen,” Dotson said of the assault on the Seattle teen. “That’s a disgrace.”
King County Executive Dow Constantine has ordered Metro Transit and the King County Sheriff’s Office to review the county’s security policies followed at the county’s transit facilities. Under current Metro policies, unarmed security guards are instructed not to intervene when witnessing suspicious behavior or criminal activity, according to the county.
Instead, they are to “observe and report” and radio the Metro Transit Control Center, which then contacts a police agency.
By then, said Renton’s Cline, “you are minutes into it,” referring to the incident.
However, the county’s security policies don’t apply to the Renton Transit Center, which is a joint partnership of the City of Renton and Metro Transit. Security policies are determined by the City of Renton and Dotson Security Services, then included in the city’s contract with Dotson.
The security guards at the bus tunnel the evening of Jan. 28 work for Olympic Security Services Inc., hired by King County to provide security at the bus tunnel and other bus facilities. They do not patrol at the Renton Transit Center.
Renton Police officers have a station in the transit center and respond quickly to any 911 calls, Cline said. Police don’t want Dotson officers to intervene in a violent situation between individuals because “you don’t know what you are stepping into.” The private officers “could become a target,” he said.
Metro Transit Police, under a contract with the King County Sheriff’s Office, also patrol the transit center, but Renton doesn’t control their hours, Cline said.
“The transit center is always on our radar screen. It never goes away,” said Preeti Shridhar, a spokeswoman for the City of Renton.
According to Dotson, the City of Renton pays $65,000 a year for his security services downtown. The company was hired under Visitor Information and Downtown Assistance, or VIDA, which is part of a broader initiative to reduce crime and promote a sense of safety downtown and in the rest of Renton.
The private security force wears yellow and black uniforms. Besides providing a measure of security, they also act as goodwill ambassadors, providing information to anyone who needs it.
Olympic Security Services competes with Dotson Security in the regionwide private security business.
He said he pays his guards $12 to start and $14 for those for patrol the transit center. That’s more than what other security companies pay, Dotson said. In hiring officers, he “looks for quality,” and then employees go through extensive training.
