Cameras Save $11 Million for SEPTA
PlanPhilly reports that surveillance cameras aboard buses and in stations have saved $11 million for SEPTA, much of that money from frivolous lawsuits that were quickly disposed of thanks to video evidence. The result has been a decline in the number of legal claims against the transit agency.
“Not only is the pay out going down, but somewhat more importantly, the number of claims and the number of lawsuits is also going down,” said SEPTA’s Acting General Counsel Gino Benedetti.
Whenever there is any sort of incident on a SEPTA bus or train, whether it be an accident or a run-in with a passenger, the operators fill out an incident report, and the video unit pulls the surveillance footage.
“We’re actually able to see what happened and either convince claimants or their lawyers not to bring the suit at all or use that information successfully in the court process,” Benedetti said.
