Ohio cab drivers to assist police
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A central Ohio taxi cab company is adopting a national program that makes the drivers official lookouts for police.
The Taxis on Patrol initiative was announced recently by Yellow Cab of Columbus. It creates a partnership among the cab company and Columbus police and the county sheriff’s office.
Specially trained Yellow Cab drivers will report suspicious activities to police as part of the program. 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.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that city police have helped develop a video and other training materials to show drivers what they need to do, including how to accurately describe a suspect.