Associated Press
COLUMBUS
Taxi drivers will be drafted as official lookouts for police as part of a program being adopted by a central Ohio cab company.
Yellow Cab of Columbus recently said it is adopting the national Taxis on Patrol initiative, creating a partnership among the cab company, Columbus police and the county sheriff’s office.
As part of the program, specially trained Yellow Cab drivers will report suspicious activities to police. The Columbus Dispatch reports that the company is paying for cameras similar to dashboard cameras in police cruisers to be installed in each of the company’s 130 vehicles in Columbus to help document what happens and to protect the drivers from crime.
Comments
The idea of having cameras to protect taxi drivers by recording what goes on in the cab may help solve crimes against the drivers, however, if drivers are acting as agents of the police department will they now be considered "enemies" of the criminals? If so, this could further endanger the drivers. Could some action by a driver create liability upon the city of Columbus?