‘Transit cops’ issued citations inside train, but CATS says they broke mask rules
Security officers who appeared in a photo without face coverings inside a light-rail train were “out of compliance” with mask mandates, Charlotte’s transit agency said.
A passenger aboard a LYNX Blue Line car spotted the maskless “transit cops” serving citations on Tuesday afternoon.
“Not a great look,” the person tweeted with a photo under the @CLTDevelopment account. “Guess these city employees don’t care.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a federal order on Jan. 29 “requiring the wearing of masks by people on public transportation conveyances or on the premises of transportation hubs to prevent spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.”
Mecklenburg County also remains under a local mask mandate that requires “enforcement officers” to wear face coverings.
All Charlotte Area Transportation System employees and contractors are required to comply with the mask mandate, agency spokeswoman Juliann Sheldon told the Observer on Wednesday.
The security officers who appear in the photo work for Allied Universal, CATS’ contracted police force, Sheldon said.
“The officers in the photo are certainly out of compliance with the mask mandate — and CATS’ enforcement of that mandate,” she said. “We’ve discussed the incident directly with Allied Universal. They are handling the mask violation directly with their personnel.”
G4S previously handled security for CATS, but that British private security company was acquired by Allied Universal in April.
CATS is still operating under the same transit contract as it was when with G4S, Sheldon said.
