Pepper Spray Planned for Milwaukee Bus Drivers

For Milwaukee bus drivers, there is a lot more involved in their jobs than just safe driving and skillful parking. Surveillance videos show increasing numbers of Milwaukee bus drivers being assaulted by the very people they are serving. Now Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke wants to make the non lethal weapon – and training – available to all transit drivers. Clarke stated that he is no longer willing to investigate attacks after they happen. He wants to take a proactive approach to prevention.

According to Brandon Jenson of the Transit Union, some bus drivers have been carrying pepper spray for years, though unofficially.

Clarke’s action was spurred by surveillance videos which show Milwaukee County transit employees being attacked while doing their jobs. According to the proposed plan, bus drivers will be equipped with pepper spray and taught other self-defense techniques. Concerns expressed are not only for the drivers but also for passengers who have been injured during attacks aimed at the drivers.