Boston transit cops refusing to fine fare jumpers

Authority calls inaction dereliction of duty; Officers say they should focus on violent crime

This year, they were on pace to write more tickets through the first three months of the year.

Then came an emotional meeting of the MBTA Police Patrolman's Association on March 30, when officers railed against the fare-evasion work.

Officers said it is a potentially dangerous assignment because they patrol gates in plain clothes, which they say leads to confrontations with evaders who think they are being stopped by another commuter. [....]

Marino said many of those complaining were 20-year veterans whose opinions influenced younger officers.

Marino said there was no formal agreement at the meeting to stop issuing tickets, but afterward, many officers probably decided to let evaders go with just a warning, not a ticket.

Complicated but pretty sweet. I've seen these thugs harrass homeless folks at stations too many times to count, but it sounds like they're in a fight with T management that benefits fare dodging at a time when lots of commuters are switching to public transit, so the net effect is awesome. The story just hit the news cycle hard (it was the top headline on boston.com this morning) so we'll see what comes out of it. Maybe they'll all just be issued Tasers to defend themselves against unruly jumpers, and the issue will be settled.