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Transportation on Patrol (TOP)
The Transportation On Patrol (TOP) Program takes this idea to the streets. The TOP Program takes advantage of the ubiquitous nature of taxicabs, limousines and paratransit vehicles to establish a "neighborhood watch on wheels". The Transportation On Patrol program helps to reduce crime with ancillary but very real public safety benefits such as reporting fires, automobile accidents, medical emergencies, and traffic issues. This program also creates good will in the community and PR value for transportation operators, and a bond between public safety officials and transportation professionals.
More than a dozen cities across the United States are turning to for-hire fleets such as taxicabs and limousines to be their additional eyes and ears on the street to report public safety issues. Transportation on Patrol (TOP) creates partnerships between public safety agencies and the for-hire fleet industry. Making the program increasingly popular is TOP's new "Online Training and Startup Guide" available to operators and drivers around the globe.
Within days of its first launch in Denver in 2011, a taxicab driver witnessed a hit and run that killed a man. The taxi driver was able to read the license plate number of the suspect's car which led to an arrest. Drivers have since reported thousands of incidents posing public safety concerns. The program is based on the simple principle of, "if you see something, you say something." It is designed to be a neighborhood watch on wheels, where drivers' observations complement public safety agency efforts to combat crime and quality of life concerns. The program utilizes the ubiquitous nature of the taxicab, limousine, and paratransit industry whose vehicles roll through a community's streets at all hours of the day and night. By providing consistent and dependable information, drivers from participating fleets serve as a force multiplier for public safety agencies. The TOP Program is picking up momentum, and now operates in more than a dozen U.S. cities including Denver, Atlanta, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, Anchorage, Little Rock and others. Cities in countries as far away as Australia, Singapore and the United Kingdom are also in discussions with local fleet operators to launch the program. The TOP Online Education materials are designed to take the guesswork out of program startup. It consists of two modules: TOP Driver, designed to train drivers on how to observe and report effectively. This is accomplished always from a standpoint of "safety first." A companion online curriculum, TOP Ops, trains fleet operator staff on how to track incident reports. The cost is only $5 per driver; staff training is free. The TOP mission was spearheaded by Denver taxi fleet owner Robert McBride who also served as the 2011 President of the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association, a sister organization to the TLPF, which accepted stewardship of the program. "Transportation on Patrol is a win-win for everyone involved," McBride says. "It makes our communities safer. It elevates the industry, the operator, and the driver. It maximizes resources helping public safety agencies at no cost to tax payers. It's no wonder this program is growing by leaps and bounds."
Transportation On Patrol is already playing a key role in the public safety of cities around the world. Bringing the benefits of this program to your community and your organization is simple. The Taxicab, Limousine, and Paratransit Association and eCubed Learning have developed the Transportation On Patrol Online Education Suite. This suite consists of an online education module for drivers that gives procedure and best practice for observing and reporting, and a module for operators that makes program startup quick, effective, and economical. For more info on TOP and how to join the TOP team contact Hal Morgan at (301) 984-5700; Michael Moses at 888-572-5444; visit www.tlpa.org; or email TOP@ecubedlearning.com.
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