San Diego Goes Fiber Optics to Handle Security Video Traffic for Mass Transportation Security

San Diego trolley and bus riders can soon expect a more secure ride. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is giving local transit authorities nearly $4 million for security improvements on the light-rail system, and to install additional closed-circuit cameras on public buses. The security chief with the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) this week said the bulk of the money will be spent on beefing up the transmission link between the agency’s operations command post and the cameras planted at trolley stations in Mission Valley and other areas. He said a new fiber-optic link will make it easier to track movements at stations and keep a better eye on train operations. “All this helps our patrons because we can witness things and get better information,” said the chief. MTS officials consider the grant a major coup, noting their agency received the third-highest amount of the 66 transit agencies that applied for the federal money. Serious crime on the trolley declined last year.

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