From: "Friends of Transit" Subject: Security has become more important than ever to the Phoenix Public Transit Department Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2002 10:55 PM Security has become more important than ever to the Phoenix Public Transit Department with an expanding transit system that serves 35.5 million passengers each year. To temporarily fill the vacant Public Transit Safety Chief position, the Phoenix Police Department is loaning its law enforcement expertise to the city's transit system. Cmdr. Ken Tims, a 20-year police veteran, will oversee a civilian staff of 42 public transit patrol and facility officers through June 30, 2003. "In just the few days I've been here I've come to the realization that public transit in Phoenix is a very complex and dynamic system. My goal is to strengthen the relationship between the public transit and police staffs to the benefit of our passengers, operators, and residents," says Tims. The city of Phoenix, which is a member of the Valley Metro regional transit system, has a fleet of 468 buses, 110 Dial-a-Ride vehicles, 14 transit facilities/offices, and 3,957 bus stops/shelters. Tims has been with the department since1982 and has worked in the Patrol, Property Management, Drug Enforcement and Professional Standards Bureaus, the Domestic Violence and Assault Units and the Missing Persons' Detail. Most recently he served in the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.