SALT LAKE CITY — A startling rise in assaults on UTA operators has led to action being taken at the state level.
House Joint Resolution 26 on Transit Operator Safety Awareness calls for the recognition of operators and asks law enforcement to enforce stricter punishments in cases of assault.
“It’s something that we’ve needed for quite a while. The behavior has just gotta stop," said Utah Transit Authority Chief of Police Sgt. Dalan Taylor.
UTA data shows assaults on UTA bus operators have increased by around 46%; from 156 assaults on UTA bus operators in 2017 to 227 in 2022.
Neil Uemura is just one of those more than 200 operators who faced violence from passengers and passersby last year.
“I was taking a break when I pulled into the Mill Creek track station, as I always do," said Uemura. "Before I could think he’s on me, just choking me, then you get into a tussle, he’s straddling me on the ground and he can commence to punch me to kick me."
Uemura said of his attacker, who continued to beat him for 3 minutes. "Just by the grace of God, he finally got up and left," he said.
Six staples in his head, and a busted left eardrum, among other injuries, aren't holding Uemura back.
He's behind the wheel, but not without the fear of it happening again.
“Just keep your head on a swivel as they say, just make sure you’re aware of your surroundings I guess just to have a plan," he said.
Sgt. Taylor said they have already been making policy changes this past year to protect operators like Uemura.
"When they assault one of our operators we take them directly to jail. There's no citation and release," he said, "We take those individuals to jail and book them in."
He and Uemura appreciate the action at the state level supporting what they do to get people safely to and from where they need to go each day.
"I think it's important. I think it's a good start," said Uemura, "But I think the main thing for us operators, maybe the population in general, I think we just have to be aware of just how to maybe prevent this from happening in the first place."
The bill passed through the House unanimously and had its first hearing in the Senate.
