New York, NY – New York City livery cab drivers can volunteer to allow police to randomly stop their cars to determine whether they or their passengers are safe.
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The program, launched today, comes after the fatal shootings of 4 area cab drivers in as many months.
Police say drivers can voluntarily put a decal on the back windshield of their cab, allowing officers to stop the car at any time to do a safety check.
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne says the program puts criminals on notice that the cabs could be intercepted at any time.
NYS Federation of Taxi Drivers spokesman Fernando Mateo says drivers welcome the effort.
In the latest shooting, cab driver Pericles Salas was found shot to death in Yonkers on Sunday. Three other cabbies have been killed in the Bronx.
I don’t see how these random checks will prevent anything, will they frisk the passangers for concealed weapens?
Do they stop the meter if they get pulled over?