SEPTA transit police bolsters ranks with 16 new recruits [Video]

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — SEPTA’s Transit Police Department is closer to full strength with 16 newly minted officers, who began their patrols Monday.

This newest class of recruits brings the total number of sworn officers to 232, said Chief of SEPTA Transit Police Charles Lawson. “We’re about 90% right now,” Lawson told KYW Newsradio. “I have another academy class going in in early January. That puts us at about 94% staffed.”

SEPTA’s budget struggles are well-documented, but Lawson said management has increased the size of the force by 20 officers this year.  “I’m lucky in the fact that they are prioritizing safety. And so that enables me to continue to hire, continue to promote staff up through the ranks,” he said.

The transit agency has also raised police salaries in hopes of attracting officers from other departments to keep up with attrition. Lawson says several of those officers are expected to join SEPTA …