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Beginning July 1, SEPTA will increase its enforcement of quality-of-life crimes on the transit system with a goal to make trains and buses safer, cleaner and more appealing to the riding public.
When the pandemic hit, SEPTA Police Chief Chuck Lawson said the agency changed its enforcement model, replacing stiff financial penalties and court dates with a simple $25 fine.
Lawson says that change just hasn’t been working.
“We’re getting serious crime under control and those numbers are very clear. But we gotta get our hands around antisocial behavior, low-level criminal offending, and we’re not having success with that with the tool that we’re using now,” he said.
Under the new policy, transit police will issue a ticket to the offender that will be handled by the Office of Administrative Review. The fines will go from $25 to $150, and those who don’t pay the fines will face a court date. Chronic offenders will be banned from SEPTA property and vehicles.