Following a string of violent attacks against cab drivers (think knifes, teeth) in recent weeks, New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers spokesperson Fernando Mateo is asking the police to do more to keep cabbies safe, comparing cab crime to terrorism.
Mateo, who, you may recall, has previously advocated that drivers wear bulletproof vests and racially profile their passengers, told CBS this week that he doesn't understand why the NYPD takes so long to release images of cab crime suspects.
"When the authorities have a tip that a terrorist is going to bomb or attack a building, they don’t wait a week to put the images out. They do it immediately to get these people off the street. What we want you to know that these people that are robbing drivers at gunpoint are terrorists. They are terrorizing the industry and we need to get these people of the street,” he said.
Mateo, whose Federation members consist mainly of livery drivers, is pushing for legislation that would require the NYPD and the Taxi and Limousine Commission to act immediately when a driver is attacked. “And it’s very simple. If you have an iPad, you should be able to go into a cab, download the images immediately, and forward them to the local bases, so that they know who they should be looking out for. The faster you do this, the quicker you catch the perps, the faster it is to make an arrest,” he said. Because if there's on way to spur the NYPD into action, it's definitely to make inflammatory, patriotism-baiting comments about their performance!
