Washington, D.C
Safety audit shows Metro is Back2Bad
The Washington Metrorail Security Fee audit that preceded 72 prepare operators being pulled from service is filled with troubling questions of safety inside the company.
Why it issues: Whilst ridership has fallen throughout the pandemic, Metrorail transports roughly 230,000 individuals every weekday, and security oversights put these riders in peril.
The large image: The audit — which spans greater than 50 pages — says the company has “a tradition that accepts noncompliance” with written guidelines, a “hit and miss” file in the case of enough coaching for key personnel, and poor inner communication.
Coaching-specific findings went past re-certification points:
- Workers liable for main a wide range of trainings will not be all the time correctly educated themselves.
- What’s extra, “Personnel who’ve taught prepare operator lessons mentioned there are positively individuals who have been licensed … who they might not get on the prepare with if that individual was the operator,” the audit says.
- Correct “territory familiarization” was additionally missing for a number of positions, together with new or not too long ago transferred prepare operators who might not know their new line or perceive necessary nuances equivalent to spots the place it’s tougher to cease.
Listed here are extra damning findings:
- Inspectors famous a number of cases of improperly granting “foul time,” a course of that ensures a observe is obvious earlier than an worker enters it. Foul time can be wanted for workers on the observe for restore work or to retrieve dropped objects.
- Staff had been utilizing expired electrical gloves, which stop electrocution. Moreover, workers who use the gloves didn’t know that they had an expiration date.
- The audit cites a number of examples of terminal supervisors and interlocking operators watching movies on their private gadgets throughout security incidents, together with the 2020 derailment within the Alexandria Yard.
State of play: The protection fee launched one other report yesterday detailing the company’s improper energy restoration course of, which places staff in peril of getting the electrical energy turned again on earlier than they go away the observe. It says the company continues to “put its personnel susceptible to critical damage or demise” by not following its personal guidelines.
? Our thought bubble: Though not totally stunning for the transit service that launched the “Back2Good” initiative in 2016, that is an unsettling set of findings.
Washington, D.C
PHOTOS: Washington Nationals unveil District Blueprint uniforms to kick off 20th anniversary season – WTOP News
The District Blueprint uniforms feature a baby blue jersey and cap sporting a stylized block “W.”
A stylized block “W” is surrounded by an outline of the Capitol Dome, flanked on either side by cherry blossoms.
An image of D.C.’s iconic street grid printed on the jersey represents the players “wearing the city’s streets on our heart,” according to a news release from the team.
A 3D interlocking D.C. logo on the jersey’s chest nods to the 1956 Washington Senators logo, while mosaic detailing on the white pants celebrates the diverse community, according to the team.
The Nationals will wear the District Blueprint uniforms for the first time on March 29 and March 30, 2025.
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It’s been more than a year since Blake Bozeman was shot and killed at a nightclub along H Street Northeast, and now a man tasked with stopping gun violence in D.C. is under arrest.
“He wasn’t just an athlete, he was a businessman, he was a realtor, he had community service,” Blake Bozeman’s father, Todd Bozeman, told News4 at a basketball game honoring his son.
The 31-year-old was known as a family man and stand-out basketball star at Morgan State
University.
“Some people say he finished the race, but he really didn’t finish the race because he didn’t get his kids through,” Todd Bozeman said.
On Friday, D.C. police announced two arrests in the case: Cotey Wynn and Antwan Shelton were arrested and charged with first degree murder while armed.
Police said the shooting happened at the Cru Hookah Lounge along H Street.
Wynn is known for his work on D.C. streets as a violence interrupter with the Cure the Streets program. The organization works with the District’s Office of the Attorney General.
Wynn and Shelton were at the lounge and allegedly planned the shooting, according to court documents.
Investigators released photos of Wynn and Shelton walking up to the lounge before the shooting, which show the moments Shelton allegedly began firing inside the crowded lounge, striking and killing Bozeman and injuring three other people.
“He’s not going to be able to walk his daughter down the aisle, do the father daughter dance, none of that,” Todd Bozeman said.
Blake Bozeman worked as a realtor and left behind his wife and three young kids.
In a statement to News4, the OAG said, “These allegations are deeply troubling, and our hearts go out to the victims, their families and their loved ones. Our office had no knowledge of Cotey’s potential involvement in any events related to his arrest.”
Both Wynn and Shelton remain behind bars and are due back in court on April 1.
Former D.C. Chief of Police Jerry Wilson, who led the Metropolitan Police Department during the tumultuous late 60s and early 70s, died earlier this month at the age of 96.
Former D.C. Chief of Police Jerry Wilson, who led the Metropolitan Police Department during the tumultuous late 60s and early 70s, died earlier this month at the age of 96 in an assisted living facility in Gainesville, Virginia, according to the Washington Post.
Wilson was born in 1928 in South Hill, Virginia, before moving to North Carolina. He dropped out of high school as a young man to join the United States Navy, serving from 1943 to 1946. He pivoted to the United States Marine Corps until 1947, before heading home and finishing up school.
In 1949, Wilson joined the D.C. police force. He quickly rose in the ranks, and becoming the Field Operations Commander as Assistant Chief of Police.
As assistant chief, Wilson took an important stand in the aftermath of the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, prohibiting officers from firing at looters and rioters during the riots that followed the assassination, according to the Washington Post.
Many said Wilson’s action prevented widespread bloodshed in the City.
He was promoted to chief the next year, largely in part of his handling of the riots. Wilson was the last police chief before D.C. received home rule in 1974.
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© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
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