The Brief
- Transit riders who destroy or break faregate glass at MARTA rail stations will face felony charges, transit police warned.
- Intentionally damaging the glass property causes more than $500 in destruction, triggering a felony under Georgia law.
- Transit police monitor the stations 24 hours a day using more than 12,000 cameras systemwide to catch vandals.
ATLANTA – Transit riders who break faregate glass at MARTA rail stations will face felony charges, transit police warned Friday.
Faregate vandalism crackdown
What we know:
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Police Department reminded transit riders that intentional property destruction at rail stations carries severe legal consequences. Under state law, intentionally destroying property and causing damage that exceeds $500 results in a felony charge. Replacing the glass on a MARTA faregate costs more than $500, automatically elevating the act of vandalism to a felony level.
The transit system relies on an expansive surveillance network to track down violators. More than 12,000 cameras operate systemwide, with many pointed directly at station entrances, exits and faregate arrays. Officers monitor these feeds 24 hours a day from the Real-Time Crime Center. Surveillance will also ramp up in the Emergency Operations Center during large events like the FIFA World Cup. …